Clin d'Oeil

listen to Jazz Liberatorz - Clin d'Oeil. i cannot take credit for stumbling upon this highly talented parisian hip-hop group - that honor is reserved for my favorite chocolate bear. they mix old jazz samples and improvised jazz fusion riffs while intelligently rhyming. there are few groups that make me go, 'oh, wow.' but i would lump these guys in with tribe in terms of how great they are. happy listening.

cheers, jhabra

vienne 1

the beginning of our spring break adventure! oh vienna, it was probably the "nicest" place we went to over spring break. i say that hesitantly because all the places were nice, but not all of them had EVERYTHING. vienna, was unbelievably beautiful, clean, the people we very kind and had great senses of humor, big, lively... on and on. will and i got there in the afternoon. as we walked off the plane, we realized almost immediately that we have no german under our belt, and that getting into the city would prove somewhat difficult, but make for a great story. we eventually find a tourist desk. without the address of our hotel, not even a general indication of its direction (drew had all that information because he had booked it; he didn't arrive until much later in the evening), i remember something about the schonbrunn palace, and ask the guy how to get there. we assumed that the marriot schonbrunn would be next to the palace with the same name. right? wrong.

the very friendly austrian at the desk pulls out a metro map and a city map. he points us in the right direction, giving us information on where and how to transfer in the train stations. about 45 mins later, we get to the schonbrunn metro stop, walk outside with bags in hand, and realize that we have no freaking clue where to go. it's not like we could have asked somebody where it was either... we don't speak the language (later, however, we found out that everyone speaks english in vienna). so we did as any lost pair of 21 year olds would do... walk to the right for over an hour in the complete opposite direction, along the entirety of this palace, which in my opinion is more beautiful and probably bigger than versailles, (probably because it was built later and thus it's more modern?) until we hit a 4 star hotel. we decide to go in and try our luck. mind you, will and i are dressed like bums, we're noticeably sweating, and are clearly not austrian. the two girls at the front desk looked at us, scaled us with their piercing eyes, and then turned around as if we weren't even standing there! eventually we forcefully got their attention and their demeanor changed completely when we told them we were lost. they pointed us in the right direction. after another hour hike back towards where we came, we finally find the hotel... had we turned left out of the metro stop, we would have seen the hotel as if it were the moon in a night sky... what a fantastic start to an even more fantastic vacation.

more about vienna in a little.

cheers, jhabra

last night

starting around 2230, will, sally, sam, sarah, maggie, and i sat on the giant field in between invalides et la tour eiffel. with bottles of wine in hand, and brie and bread in bags, we sat until 0001. purpose: on the hour, ever hour, after it gets dark, the tower sparkles with what i'm assuming are white, timed strobe lights. at 2300, the girls found it imperative to get up and dance while will and i were tools taking pictures. at 0000, it sparkled again as we were walking back towards the metro; maggie almost got hit by a bus.

cheers, jhabra

saint malo

the weekend before spring break, my group had an excursion to saint malo. it's a very quaint and quiet little city, surrounded by a medieval wall on all sides. it kind of juts out like the florida keys as it is surrounded by beaches on all sides as well. we spent one day and night there, and i have to tell you it was one of the most fun nights of my life.

that night, will, drew, and i went out for a traditional mediterranean dinner. we had mussels, some steak, frites, and of course wine... all for a fraction of the price as they are in paris. anywho, we decide to find a grocery store and just pick up some cheese, bread, and wine after having dinner. for those of you who do not know the layout of saint malo, and i'm assuming it's probably all of you, the city has an exceptional beach surrounding the mainland walled-in city. it's probably, from wall to water, almost 100 yards long, and i couldn't even guess how wide. as you look out into the english channel, all you can see are a 3 scattered lighthouses. there are, however, actually five. the other two are to the northwest, hidden by the very old and giant "fort national", which in terms of distance, seems as if it's not really part of the city. to have a look at these lighthouses, and to see ONLY open ocean, one must scale the fort's wall on either side while climbing over the jagged tipped black rocks surrounding the fort. yes, we did it. it was amazing. at this point, robyn, amanda, and amie had joined us back there, a good 300 yards from any real landmass. all we did was talk and eat for a good 3 hours. it was amazing. i don't think i have ever seen such a beautiful horizon in all my life.

there is a much more convoluted story, which happened around 12:30 am when we left the fort, directly involving will and drew, and indirectly involving me, which is probably one of the funniest series of unfortunate events i have ever witnessed in my life... the night included a 40 year old woman, too much alcohol, incessant phone calls, 5:45 am, and sleeping in nondescript places. those of you who care to know can ask me.

more to come on spring break soon... i promise.

cheers, jhabra

home!

i just got back to paris a few hours ago from probably the best two weeks of my life. again, we spent two weeks traveling from vienna to prague to barcelona to marrakech. i'm pretty sunburnt, i have henna tattoos all over my hands and feet, i've a new handcrafted wood, silver, and black onyx bracelet that some old berber woman deep in the moroccan atlas mountains slaved over, i've learnt to love bratwurst, i've realized the coolest architecture in the world is prague's gothic stuff EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK, i'm hoping Chiozo gets his 10 billion dollars from southern spain to propel his idea of a thriving africa, and i've learnt to appreciate the tactics of a good beggar.

i'm going to try to recount the happenings of a city per day over the next 4 days, but odds are it will take me longer than a day to account for one city. words can't really describe my experiences and sentiments; i will try nonetheless.

so, let the games begin... tomorrow. i'm tired now.

cheers, jhabra

spring break

so, my spring break starts tomorrow. i'm leaving first thing in the morning to vienna. then we're heading to prague and barcelona. we're finishing up our two week quest in marrakech, morocco. it's going to be epic. pictures and posts from the past three weeks will follow.

cheers, jhabra

passover and such

tomorrow marks the day when moses led the jews out of slavery. it's all there in the old testament, which is a wonderful story told to my people in order to distract them from the fact that they did not have air conditioning. anywho, this means no more bread for a week... i have no idea how i'm going to pull this off in the land of the world's best bread... ever. and on top of that, i'll be going to vienna, prague, barcelona, and marrakech, starting on saturday! yay spring break.

in other news, i had a wonderful trip to normandy this past weekend. probably the most fun i've had while i've been here because of a story i will find time to type when i'm not too busy... i have copious amounts of work to do this week...

cheers, jhabra

dan deacon - bromst

if you happen to find yourself in the music section of any store, and you happen to be in the rock, alternative, indie, new age, or progressive part of that section, and you happen to come across the Ds within that part, and you happen to stumble upon the dan deacon selection, and the selection happens to include his new album, Bromst... BUY IT!

or you can just find it online. one of my 2009 favs so far. this guy likes to play with layering sounds and really cool/different melodies.

cheers, jhabra

11 days and counting...

so last weekend i went to champagne, the region northeast of paris. there, the birthplace of that oh so delicious sparkling alcoholic drink, hundreds of vineyards line the countryside of rolling hills. it was a well deserved break from all the concrete and stale air trapped by the most glorious city on earth. our group toured 2 vineyards, including the 10 kilometer underground caves where they house hundreds of thousands of bottles of champagne. these caves go on forever. it was unbelievable. the woman who gave us the tour explained all the different sizes of bottle they make (including the biggest which holds 15 liters of bubbly goodness... wow). 

every few days, the companies have 3, three, 1 + 1 + 1, bottle specialists who turn the hundreds of thousands of bottles ever so slightly to gradually remove white sediment from the neck of every bottle. to do a rack of 30 bottles, it takes the worker just under 30 seconds! at the end of the process, there is still a little sediment remaining, so they run it through this machine that literally blows off the metal top of the bottle, which carries the white sediment with it. slowed down, it looks like the bottle is spitting. after, they add a little sugar and a some other secret concoction to the champagne.

after an afternoon of tasting, we went to this giant grocery store in the middle of Reims. this place is huge... bigger than most Super Targets and Wal-Marts that i have been to. our director purchased over 500 euros worth of food for a picnic. we went to this little town on the top of a hill overlooking this giant valley riddled with grape plants. it was a sunny afternoon, low fifties... an absolutely perfect idea. we all had a nice little lunch, a photo shoot, a walk, and a bathroom break. then it was back on the bus to return to paris.

i have to say, leaving the city for a day and spending it in the countryside was a little refreshing.

cheers, jhabra

checking in

hey everybooty, i'm just checking in. not many super exciting events have occurred the past couple days. but now even as i'm typing this, i remember some things. the other day, i was walking in the marais with robyn, suzy, and anna to go get some falafel... typical sunday. anywho, we stumble upon a brazilian parade! what struck me most was the syncopation of their music. the drums were just so freaking powerful, deep, and resonant... just how i like em. after the few hundred of them passed, all dressed in bright yellow and green and sporting brazil's flag, we ate the greatest falafel in the world (in my opinion of course). the restaurant is located on rue des rosiers in the 4th arrondissement. it's famous for its falafel, shawarma, and lenny kravitz appearances. oh yeah, and it's run by all jews. delicious.

on monday, i was invited to go to a wine tasting from 11 am - 8 pm. it took place at hotel saint-james & albany on rue de rivoli, right across the street from the louvre. this place was unbelievable. my friend melis invited me (yes, her given name is melis, not melissa, get over it). anyway, she's really cool, she's from turkey and speaks turkish and english as well as pretty-good broken french. we entered the first of two very big rooms. we were handed a wine glass and were just told to browse and drink until our hearts were content. i tried some delicious reds, some very crisp whites, and a champagne that made me cough a little because of it's hyper-carbonation. but the most notable tasting experience was a red worth 130 euro. out of this world. i'm not really sure how to describe it, but it was pretty much perfect; i'm sure the sommeliers there thought it was garbage though.

in addition to the wine, there was a giant buffet of cheeses. come 6 o'clock, we started to get rather hungry. we grabbed a few pieces of the freshly cut bread and a cheese steward gave us each 4 huge different cuts of cheese. we went back for seconds...

cheers, jhabra

congratulations martin brodeur

as the title suggests... congrats to martin brodeur of the new jersey devils for surpassing the all time winningest goalie in NHL history, patrick roy. he did it last night in his home town of motreal, quebec against the canadiens. patrick roy was present along with brodeur's father and brother, snapping pictures to capture a momentous occasion in hockey history.

check out the video on nhl.com; it's pretty neato.

omgomgomgomgomg

go to www.enjoyincubus.com

uh huh...?

so i was sitting in grammar class today, looking out the window (i can see the eiffel tower perfectly from where i have class by the way; it's just a few blocks away). all of a sudden, i hear an unfamiliar sound: a bird chirping. it has been so long since i've heard such a noise that it didn't register in my brain, and i actually had to logically deduce what was making the noise. i've been surrounded by concrete and rats with wings for so long that i have forgotten the chirp of a bird. just a solemn reminder of how secluded a big city is from the rest of the world... spring is approaching.

cheers, jhabra

connard!

so today was the first of my days teaching english to a group of middle and high schoolers. it's a group of about 15 boys, the youngest being 9 and the oldest being 15. they know a lot of english. enough that we were able to talk about their favorite movies, their favorite sports teams and players, as well as their hobbies. one of the 12 year olds mentioned music to be his favorite "thing." he said to me, "tu connais la justice?" almost immediately i replied, "oui bien sur, je le connais." and he, flipped, a, shit. "oh la la, connard!!! putain de merde (almost every french curse word you could imagine was combined into this long tirade about how he wants to be like Xavier and make music like the duo) tu le connais! j'aime bien la justice." he kept saying it over and over and over again. he even broke out in song, "We. Are. Your. Friends. You'll. Never. Be. Alone. Again. C'mon!" it was very cute. i then told him to repeat what he said in english and to write it on the blackboard hahaha. he looked at me, sat down, and said, "non, je ne peux pas le faire." the whole class laughed, including the wide-eyed 13 year old.

at another point, the 9 year old, jean-alexandre, had a nose bleed. he was playing with an empty tuna can, which actually didn't cut the inside of his nose??? i didn't really understand what happened. one of the 15 year olds told him he shouldn't play with the tops because they're sharp and that's what cut him. but the principal said he is just prone to nose bleeds. all i know is that when his eyes started to tear, i immediately ran to the bathroom to grab some towels and told him to push as hard as he could. some kids gave him candy. it stopped him from crying and he took care of himself!

i'm really excited to work with these kids, despite their occasional rowdiness. i feel as if i'm going to learn more french from them than they will learn english from me. for example, one of them won't know a word in english, then ask me what it is in french. if i don't know the french word, one of the other students will probably know it, then we both learned something new. if not, we have a dictionary.

cheers, jhabra

oh la la

it's fashion week in paris! i don't really care, but i do have a little story to share with you. will and i were taking a stroll in the tuilerie gardens when we came across the giant white tents with all the runways in them and display areas. as we got on the metro, i noticed this really cute petite woman struggling to get her bag through the turnstyle. so like the natural gentleman i am, i went over and helped her. she thanked me in probably the most adorable british accent. she was also very surprised that i spoke english and asked me what i'm doing in paris, how i like it, and such. i asked her the same. she told me she was only here for the day and that she absolutely loves it and is super jealous that i am here a whole semester. she also told me she was in paris for the fashion week to model handbags. i don't really remember for whom or even what her name is, but i did make it a point to ask how to get into the shows. she said, "all you have to do is ask to volunteer, if they have room for you, you get in for free." score.

cheers, jhabra

new stuff

it has been a while since i've talked about music...

the new Wavves album, "Wavvves", just came out a few days ago, i'm pretty excited to listen to it. it has consistently pumped out positive ratings all over the place. find a copy if you have the opportunity.

i've been listening to George Harrison's "All Things Must Pass" lately. it takes some getting used to, but like most solo Beatle stuff, it's awesome. "hear me lord" is my favorite.

anyone up for some funky and soulful R&B??? The Foreign Exchange's new album, "Leave It All Behind", is not something to overlook. even if it's not your style as it was for me, you will find yourself consistently nodding your head and making a fool of yourself on the metro while listening to their grooves.

the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs is unreal.

jazz? Bill Evans and Jim Hall's "Intermodulation". probably one of my favorite jazz records of all time behind Miles' "Kind Of Blue" and Hubbard's "Red Clay".

cheers, jhabra

sorry sorry sorry

so this past weekend i was in provence. we traveled to aix, cassis, marseille, avignon, and a few other small towns along the coast. the whole lot of us, our entire API group, woke up at like 430 to catch the 715 TGV high speed train from Gare de Lyon to Provence. if you look on a map, it's a pretty freaking far distance, but the TGV is one of the fastest passenger trains in the world. we hit provence in a little under three hours. our program director was telling us about how texas was in a bidding war with some german company to acquire the schematics and the technology. i'm pretty sure texas lost, but it's okay because they'll never win again. i slept for most of the way, as did most of the other people on the train. but when we exited, it was a beautiful 60 degrees and sunny! our hotel was situated right in the middle of aix, just a few streets from the city center/the giant fountain roundabout.

we all got off the bus and immediately were hungry. we went to this great restaurant on the main street. it cost a pretty penny, but was totally worth it to eat delicious seafood, to have a few drinks, and to soak in the mediterranean lifestyle. i got this salmon pasta thing, t'was delicious. we spent the rest of the afternoon visiting Cezanne's house and chilling in his garden. the tour guide was telling us about how everything in his workshop is original. it was pretty wild to see his old, used paintbrushes and isle... etc. that night we didn't do much because we were all just fatigued to the bone.

the next day we went to marseille. oh... ma... lordy... batman...! it's absolutely beautiful. even the awkward smells that protrude from the streets and bay have a sort of delightful charm to them. we took a walking tour of the city... monuments and such. but we ended right on top of the notre dame church, which the people that live there call "mommy." i don't know why, people are just crazy. regardless, it is an absolutely beautiful church. there is a giant gold statue of mary holding jesus at the way top overlooking the entire port. the inside is very colorful, full of religious symbols, ornate sculptures, paintings, and beautiful stained glass.

then came the best part. we got free lunch. our directors brought us to this restaurant right on the med sea. their specialty is mussels... stuffed mussels. so freaking delicious. i could eat them for the rest of my life if i wanted to. we were a group of about 40 people. drew, will, and i, three of the four people with penises on our trip, sat at the edge of a table and made it abundantly clear to the rest of our group that those who did not like mussels could more than generously pass them to us. after calculating our piggishness, we amassed three full plates of mussels each. yeah...

the views in marseille are to die for. castles and mansions protruding off of cliffs, hotels that look like beachside resorts in miami, beautiful white sandy beaches... i can't describe it. pictures will be up soon.

we then went to cassis, a beautiful tiny, seaside, port town. we didn't spend much time there. but it was beautiful. the decent to the beach was quite effortless, but the trek back up took almost three times as long. there was also this mass meeting of motorcycle riders who had just arrived from their weekend rides. i spotted a few ducattis, BMWs, triumphs, etc...

the next day was pretty hectic. we had to catch the train around 5:30 and had a full day planned. we first went to this old castle somewhere in the middle of nowhere. i had been there before, with mrs. ellsley and my high school french class... major deja vu. 

we then went to avignon, a walled in city where, on sunday, happiness goes to die. this town was dead, absolutely dead. we visited the palais des pap and got a bite to eat. we pretty much just walked around the entire time, taking side roads and alleyways in hopes of discovering the city. the pont d'avignon is nothing special. we dubbed it a bridge to nowhere.

cheers, jhabra

provence

i'll be in provence for the weekend. i'll be in touch when i get back.

cheers, jhabra

the past few days

howdy. so i'm just now uploading more pictures to facebook. it's 2 albums (more paris and even more paris), one of which is a lot of the carnival festival, and a 5 photo addition to my first (paris 1).

anywho, life's been pretty swell. it was my friend robyn's birthday the other night. we went out to this restaurant near odean. i had chicken and lamb skewers with some veggies and some ravioli. it was delicious. the 8 of us then decided to head to bastille, to the hideout, for some dancing. it ended up being the most fun night any of us have had since we've been here. the hideout is the very thin bar in the middle of rue de lappe in bastille. upstairs there are a light couches lining the walls and a few tables. there's little room to dance. upstairs is also the big bar, which is always always always overcrowded and is manned by at most two bartenders. as a result, we really just enjoy each other's company. there's also a downstairs to which we went. the downstairs has a totally different vibe. it's almost like a cave, lined with cobblestone walls with a small bar towards the rear. what's much better about this room is the massive amount of dancing space. somehow we ended up at saint michele-notre dame, i don't really remember why. but to get to bastille from there, we had to transfer at chatelet. as we're going through the ticket counters there, the biggest station is paris is arguably the most empty at 10 pm on a saturday night. a little weird, no? at this point, people would be packing the station trying to get from one place to another for their saturday night plans. but no, all of a sudden my throat started to burn a little, will started to cough, and robyn's eyes started to water. we look at each other and realize what's happening and why the station's empty. we yell back at the 5 others to just cover their mouths and keep walking (we were heading toward a ventilated part of the station). meanwhile, people next to us were feeling the same effects of the tear gas. i'm just glad it wasn't a direct encounter. 

we got to the bar a little early and started the party, but within minutes the rest of our friends arrived, including my friend ali and some of her girl friends... and so did like the rest of paris. it made for a really fun night of dancing and celebrating robyn's 21st.

another great thing about that night is that i made buddy buddy with the giant black bouncer outside. i always tend to be the one to speak for the group for reasons i'm still not entirely sure on, but we talked for a little and he asked me where i was from. i told him i live in miami, florida and his eyes widened completely. he starts smiling and screaming in probably the worst english accent i have ever heard, "DO YOU KNOW BARAK OBAMA??? YES WE CAN, YES WE CAN!" i really didn't want to let the poor guy down, so all i could say was, "oui, je le connais." afterwards, we had a like 10 min french convo about how he's so proud of the united states for the strides forward in history they've been making and how something like that could never happen in france. he told me that i'm welcome back to the bar any time and if i ever have people waiting outside to just find him and he'll let us in. what good can come from a little white lie? i suppose a lot. ps, no pun on the white lie bit.

cheers, jhabra

pictures

sooo, i've been really busy... making new friends, hanging out with old ones, and being parisian.

the wedding celebration was unbelievable. elisheva makes a beautiful bride, and jean marc is a lucky man to have her. i met up with my friend ali, whom i know through my other friend katie, today. i showed her and her friends around chatelet and the notre-dame area.

in other news, classes have been fun and interesting. my teacher gets cooler by the day. i start my phonetics class tomorrow... bright and early at 830... i'm not looking forward to waking up.

life has been really... just chill. i absolutely adore the city, and i don't really want to leave. nothing huge has happened to me recently as if it were the first two weeks. but it's the little things that keep me interested: the pigeon that finds the morsel of food on the ground and shares it with another, the guy who is too cheep to pay for a single metro ticket and has to jump the turn-style to get to the train despite the fact he's wearing prada shoes or something similarly ridiculous, the couples in the metro that are so much in love they don't really care who's watching them slobber all over each other, the sound of the police sirens, the sounds of the city, the lights on the seine at night, the smells in a bakery, the women... oh how i do love the french women... i could go on for a while.

cheers, jhabra

by the way, i've put up pictures on facebook, randoms of just paris and non-randoms of the wedding. enjoy.

wedding!!!

ooohhhh, i also forgot to add that yesterday was my cousin's wedding in Gagny! the actual marriage ceremony took place in the city hall with the mayor. apparently many jewish weddings happen in Gagny because the mayor is a jewish sympathizer... which i also suppose is a big deal in france. regardless, the bride to be was beautiful and her husband is a very nice guy. he has a good, steady job and the looks to back it up. his family is rather small though. i don't know if it was because they were all out of town or something, but the lamkyes side (our side) was full to the rafters, and his side only had two rows occupied.

getting to the city hall in the suburbs was an ordeal. i had just finished class and had to run to catch the RER E towards Chelles. so not only was i heading in an unfamiliar direction, i was not dressed appropriately for the occasion. i was wearing jeans, a t-shirt, a sweatshirt, my leather jacket, and chucks. my man bag added a nice little touch though... anywho, i run to catch the RER and make it just as the bells were chiming, signifying its departure. i move one car over to find a seat, and low and behold, i run into my uncle mony and aunt phoebe. they were noticeably out of breath because they had clearly done the same run as i to catch the train. 

after the jewish chants and a bombarding of camera flashes to the face, everyone returned to my uncle hanania's (sp?) house for some refreshments, absolutely delicious food, and celebrations. mommy dina looked beautiful for her old age, as usual. her reaction is always the same when she sees me... i don't think her eyes could open any wider if she tried. my cousin sarah is pregnant! i had no idea. she's definitely still one of the most beautiful people i have ever seen. i even told her that, and i'm not embarrassed about it. my other cousin moshe has a beautiful little boy named jonathan. we immediately warmed up to each other. he doesn't talk much now, but is probably the most observant and curious human being i have ever met. he doesn't cry at things that would make your average child cry, no matter what position you put him in. there was a poo poo platter of vegetables, sweets, fruits, breads, pastries, and undefinable edibles, and jonathan was intent on trying EVERYTHING. if he didn't like it, he would run over to me, open my mouth with his hand, then feed me his discarded food with the other. my OTHER cousin joshua, who used to be a chef, is now living in israel. he's my age and very very cool. we probably bonded the most yesterday. we're hopefully going out tonight (saturday) together.

oh yeah, i spoke french the whole time to my family. there was very little english going on in this room, except for mommy dina who insists on practicing her english with me. i was proud of myself. i can finally connect with my mom's side of the family in a way i haven't been able to before.

cheers, jhabra 

ballet is cool

i was pushed up levels... finally! it was starting to become embarrassing how simple the class is. but now i'm with students who are more at my level of french. i had to go to the main sorbonne to get my schedule switched. i ended up being an hour and a half late to class... it was mostly because i was completely awestruck by the sorbonne's main building. oh my freaking lord, talk about grandeur. it's absolutely beautiful. it reminded me of versailles with a hint of harry potter. i took some pictures of the courtyard and will post them in due time. 

but it was okay, the teacher was completely understanding. i really like my new professor. she's very knowledgeable and totally eccentric. she animates everything she teaches and encourages student involvement. i'm pretty excited for monday when i have a full two hours with her. the only downside to the arrangement is that her classroom is on the top floor of a very tall 6 story building. as i was climbing the stars to get to class, i broke a sweat and struggled to catch my breath. when i walked in and explained my situation in front of the class, i had to stop for a second to breath before i could talk. at least i introduced myself to the class with a collaborative laugh.

two nights ago i almost saw justice at club VIP on a street right across the street from the louvre. it was serendipitous almost... after coming back from class, this girl meliss from upstairs was walking back up to her room as i was just coming out of mine. we exchanged pleasantries and talked for a bit. she asked me what i was doing tonight, and i asked her. she asked me if i knew who the group justice is and that she was going to a free show of theirs tonight. i, flipped, out. she invited me to meet them at the club. fast forward a few hours, drew, robyn, philip, and i decide to go. we get there around 1030 and there's already a striking line out the door. the show is not supposed to start until 12... we wait outside, run into meliss and company, and just chat it up for a while. an hour and a half later, still nobody but the VIPs are let in and what used to be a line in front of the door turns into a mob in front of the door. fifteen minutes later, we decide to leave. there was no guarantee we were going to be let in and we wanted to catch the last metro and RER. the next morning i found out the club was so packed, they started charging 50 euros just to get in. sorry david, but i don't adore justice THAT much...

last night our group went to the grand opera, the old opera house near the gallerie lafayette. i've been inside the most beautiful building in paris, in my opinion, before. but i have never seen a show. it was a three movement ballet, and i just have to say... it was freaking awesome. admittedly i was a little bored towards the middle, but i was completely mesmerized for the most part. the pit was great, the dancing was great, the roof and ornate sculptures are great, the seats, on the other hand, were very uncomfortable. i never thought i'd say this, but i really did enjoy the ballet. the first movement was a classical ballet piece. it wasn't very story-orientated, but the coolest part was how all the dancers ended in the same position that they had started. the middle piece was more ethnically orientated (a touch of spanish flamenco). it featured a male dancer who had fallen in love with the main female dancer. at the end, he had 15 minute-or-so solo, which was just insanely beautiful. after sharing a kiss with the female dancer, he commits suicide by jumping out a window for a reason that i'm still not entirely sure about. i couldn't help but chuckle at its relative absurdity.

the third piece was my favorite. based on syncopation and repetitive rhythm, this modern dance featured a very manly female centerpiece who soloed for the ENTIRE 45 minute section. she was unbelievable. surrounding her, there were probably upwards of 30/35 male dancers who, in succession, slowly became part of the dance. the female was elevated on a red platform in the middle of the stage, and the males started sitting off to the side on red chairs. the final minute featured some pretty pretty intense music and many, what i would consider, unnatural body movements. all in all, i loved the experience. the only other ballet i had ever been to is the nutcracker, which was dwarfed in comparison to this night.

cheers, jhabra

first day of class

today was our first day of class. it was pretty standard: hi, who are you, interests, why are you in paris, etc. we did some grammar exercises as well. it's pretty easy stuff. i'm going to ask tomorrow if i can be switched to a higher level. i'm here to learn stuff, not recapitulate things i can look up if i am ever indecisive.

i went with will and amanda to get lunch at the crous building. it was absolutely packed. we waited for an hour in line only to be served almost inedible food.

after we took the RER to a bookstore where we had to purchase our extra grammar workbooks. as we were exiting, a student protest broke out down the street. we stood and watched for a while. i just remember thinking, "they're striking so they don't have to go to school, right? sounds like a plan!" i'm not ignorant (at least i think i'm not), i know they're not doing it for said reason, but rather for teachers' rights and a recent reform bill that few politicians are trying to pass.

the rest of the afternoon was lazy. i went to the franprix down the street for some groceries and did my laundry. for dinner i went to the crous with drew and robyn. back at the dorms, we just hung out in brendan's room for a while drinking some wine and playing jenga. i never knew this, but i'm really good at jenga. it's an unfounded skill that i have yet to exploit... hopefully for money.

a certain someone complained to me today about not posting any pictures on facebook. that's because i haven't really taken any. i've had other peoples' pictures to look at. i'll start carrying around my camera now. promise.

cheers, jhabra

le neuf

today was mighty fun. we received the results of our placement exam, which i did well in! woot! then after getting lost on our way to finding a metro, we took the yellow line #1 to the stop, St. Paul. this is the central metro stop for the marais (the swamp). this is arguably the most vibrant place in paris, and it is where my family used to have an apartment. we met our walking-tour guide in front of the metro stop. we started with an eglise. i don't remember the name, but apparently it's one of the oldest churches in paris and has been renovated like a bigillion times. the marais was once a forgotten part of paris, the home of almsmen and almswomen along with the rest of the city's destitute population. but thanks to the many fundraisers and the awareness stirred by a local puppeteer, the area was eventually saved and renovated... so the tour guide's story goes.

we then walked the place des vogues. it's pretty much a giant square with a small park in the middle. the building surrounding the park are built as continuous archways, connecting to form an enclosure. four streets enter the square at each of the four corners, creating one way traffic. the center park has a giant statue of louis the 13th, whose wives used to live in the area. he also used to visit and stay at his home-away-from-home in one of the buildings behind the square. besides a motley of mansions and fancy cars, the place houses a 4 star michelin restaurant, the old house of victor hugo, and a variety of shops, art galleries, and restaurants/cafes.

from there and passing a museum that chronicles the entire history of france, we walked to the picasso museum. we only remained outside for a moment... not much to say about it. robyn loves picasso, so i'm sure we'll be back sometime.

finally, we walked toward the area for which le marais is famous: the jewish and gay quarters. la rue des rosiers is the best street in all of paris, in my opinion. it's reminiscent of the middle east/israel/an open air market somewhere in the developed portion of africa. but it's located in the greatest city on earth. as we approached the street, i had told our program director that i had stayed in an apartment on la rue. as the group and i were walking through, i had ridiculous deja vu. i finally found our apartment: 17, rue des rosiers, paris, france 75004. sarah took a picture of me next to the front door. i peaked into the boulangerie on the corner; it's the same salesman from five years ago. l'as du falafel is still there as well. will and i went in to grab a falafel. it was just as delicious as i remember.

we ended the tour in front of one of the synagogues. the architect is the same person who built another famous building in paris. i don't remember which one, which is kind of weird, but i remember being shocked when i heard they were derived from the same brain. regardless, he built it in the shape of the ten commandment slabs. it's pretty impressive.

the rest of the day was spent running all around paris looking for two notebooks and some pens only to get back to my dorm and have my neighbor inform me of a student-based store located only 4 RER stops away. i eventually went there. it has everything imaginable for school needs. i have my first day of school tomorrow. i be excited.

after a nice dinner at the crous with will and some hanging out with les neighbors. it's time for bed. bonne nuit et beaux reves.

cheers, jhabra

the past few days

the past few days have been very busy. but because of my absolute lethargic state, i will not be detailing. on the 5th, we visited the musee rodin. it's probably the least striking of all the museums in paris, but it's secludedness actually adds to its charm. my favorites in the museum were "le penseur" and "the gates of hell". the gates are probably the coolest sculpture i have ever seen. it's immense, and black. rodin sculpted each figure separately and physically positioned all of them onto this giant bronze... block. if i were you, i'd look up a pic of this thang. it's mighty impressive.

the next day katie came to town from barcelona!!!... and brought five of her friends with her. we had a very fun first day visiting the most morbid sight in the world... the catacombes. located off the denfer metro stop, this expansive underground series of connecting tunnels houses the remains of upwards of six million... yeah, count em... six million people. each section has a sign denoting the year in which it was assembled. in short, some of these bones have been preserved for about 300 years. i touched one of the femurs; i thought it would have been disgusting, but it just felt like a rock. that evening, we went out to eat on the island adjacent to that of notre dame. there is quite a night life there with excellent restaurants and great views. one of the boys said it was "the greatest meal i have ever had." yeah... the food in paris is pretty much awesome.

the next day we were supposed to visit the eiffel tower, but it was snowing heavily outside. it closed before we could even get into the elevator. in addition, i locked myself out of my room with no coat or anything... i didn't even have my glasses so i was pretty blind. on the upside, i chatted with this girl who was lounging in the lobby of our building. she had been locked out in the same manner i was, leaving our windows open, effectively creating a vacuum and the perfect opportunity for our doors to deceive us. i'm pretty sure her name is bianca. 

later that day, the girls dragged me shopping to the gallerie lafayette. i had nothing better to do, and plus i figured i could go up to the top and revel in the view. but no... today was just not my day. we get there, and the roof access is closed because of the weather. i bought a scarf to ease my pain. it's a beautiful one, and it was on sale. i really needed it too, it has been freezing the past few days.

umkkk, what else (sorry, but this is not in order, the entire weekend has just kind of blended into one giant day). friday night we all went to the louvre again because it's free. after we went for drinks at odeon, an area with many bars and a vibrant night life.

today, sunday, i spent the afternoon with my uncle, aunt, and grandmere. it's very nice to see them, even though the language barrier can be rather frustrating. dina's face absolutely lit up when she saw how much i have grown. i don't think i've ever seen her eyes open that big before. i also see a lot of my mother in her, it's uncanny.

but nothing could top our saturday night. we took a bateau parisienes tour along the seine. it was an absolutely pristine and romantic night. i was outside with everyone, leaning over the railing, and had one of those i-don't-think-i'd-rather-be-anywhere-else-in-the-world-right-now moments. i ultimately decided i want to live here when i'm a real person. i love this city more than any other city i have ever been to in my entire life. it is imperfect and dirty and coarse and sometimes smelly and sometimes rather snobbish, but i call it home for the next 5 months. hopefully it can be so for longer.

cheers, jhabra

sorryyy

i'll write on what i remember about the past few days tomorrow. my friend has been in town, and i haven't really had time to post. stay tuned.

cheers

yesterday and today

it snowed in the morning; a white paris is divine. but because the weather was rather drab, we didn't do much. we have these meal plan cards that recharge, so we had to put the first installment of monies on them. the rest of the day was spent inside watching planet earth and drinking wine. a pretty boring day. i went out to dinner with amanda, suzy, cathleen, and robyn to this hidden restaurant. it's run by a family i think, and it was pretty delicious. we then all came back to my room to watch corpse bride.

today was much more eventful. this morning we had a tour of musee d'orsay. i have one thing to say about that museum: edgar degas is fucking awesome. i did a research paper on him in high school, so to see all the famous works of art that i wrote about was rather mesmerizing. the tour lasted about an hour and a half. i, of course, made our group get there late because i hadn't woken up in time... typical jona fashion. we saw a bunch of impressionist paintings and sculptures, and learnt about parisian orgies and how they were depicted in impressionist art.

after the museum, a few of us had to go to the API center for a mandatory meeting for information on our teaching internship. i really like our advisor. she's the epitome of a parisian woman, really smart, talks 100 mph, and just overall gives off a very cool vibe. i will hopefully be teaching english to middle school or high school kids. it's pretty exciting.

afterwards, we went ice skating in front of l'hotel de ville right on the seine river! it was so cool! they pretty much opened this large outdoor rink in the middle of the plaza to the public. it's located right in front of this beautifully ornate castle; it had a pretty romantic backdrop. i was one of three who knew how to skate well, and i surprised myself even when i had the rentals on. so i ended up guiding the girls, holding their hands making sure none of them did a faceplant. after a while, this random guy started skating up behind the girls and grabbing their waists, forcing them to pretty much fall over. he was a mad creeper, and the girls became very uncomfortable. when we were inside taking off our skates, the guy got up and sat down next to the girls. our program director approached him assertively and asked him to leave us alone. after he started being rather forceful, the security guards came and physically removed the guy. as they lifted him, he spit on gaby and kicked her with his skate. so much for a fun afternoon of skating...

we stopped at a cafe for some coffee and snacks, then just returned home. drew and i went to one of the crous-card (our meal plan) places, which are scattered all over paris. it was actually decent food, much more appetizing than that of american cafeterias. now i'm sitting in my room waiting for people to come over and start drinking; we're going out tonight.

cheers, jhabra

ichat is being dumb

ichat doesn't really connect well in europe. i try to go on it from time to time when it allows me. but the most reliable way to talk with me is through facebook or skype (sixstringskater4).

cheers

morning of the 2nd

there's snow on the ground... and i'm in paris. this is awesome.

yesterday and today

lots to talk about... so here... we... go...!

yesterday the 31st was the, if not, one of the weirdest days of my life. it began with an excursion to the cirque d'hiver bouglione dans la rue amelot. we took the metro to the oberkampf stop, which is right in the middle of a vibrant downtown scene. the circus was unbelievable. it was nothing like i expected, which only made the experience much more enjoyable. from the outside, it looks just like any other parisian building. once inside thought, it's very novelty circusy. red, blue, flashy but in that exotic tacky fashion. the audience sits in a circle that ranges 3 floors, encircling the circus floor. there is a live band that plays just on top of the main circus floor. it began with an audience countdown. immediately, all the house lights were dimmed, and the children in the audience were all given these rainbow-colored flashing magic wand looking sticks. so all around the crowd were these flashing colorful lights; it was pretty exciting. marge was sitting next to me and we started clapping along to the music and tried to get the rest of our group pumped. we were obviously successful. the circus lasted about 2 hours, but it seemed like an eternity. among the performers were a few tigers, some cats, a blowup elephant, trapeze artists, a hula-hoop expert, a sick juggler, and half-naked dancers. i kept thinking, there are kids in the audience three feet from the half-naked women. you could clearly see the contours of their breasts and butt cheeks. the french are awesome.

the funniest part, for no particular reason, was when a group of six horses came out to do tricks. at one point, one of the horses took three consecutive projectile... poops, for lack of a better, more passe word. it was really hilarious. as the band continued to play, three poop-cleaners rushed out onto the blood red carpet ring and began the most professional sweep of fecal matter i have ever seen in my life. it was truly an A+ performance. five minutes later, another horse had to use the bathroom as well.

after a more than enjoyable time at the circus, a few of us remembered that Of Montreal was playing a show at the Bataclan, a famous historic club that is also a concert venue. it was right around the corner from the circus, so the few of us decided to go see if we could get tickets. a nice little walk later we arrive at the venue. it's this beautiful three story red building with almost asian like qualities. it had a few minute minarets as well with white ball tips that decorated its facade. we peeped our head inside and were watching them set up only to realize the box office was closed.

we stop at a restaurant to get some lunch. during our meal, but before our plats were delivered, i'm looking out the cafe window to see this group of three guys walking down the street. they looked rather odd, so i didn't think much of them... until i saw the guy in the white pants. at this point he was looking at me through the window as well, and i was just staring back at him like the creepiest person in the world. eventually, i grab robyn's arm and say, "is that who i think it is?" she then proceeded to have a female star-struck moment; it's her favorite band.

it was kevin barnes, the lead singer of of montreal, and bp helium. we immediately burst out of the restaurant acting like the worst americans ever and started running down the street to catch up with them. we get a picture with them and small talk for a little. they're really nice guys, bp much more so than kevin, but who gives a damn... we met of montreal on the streets of paris.

now is when the day took a turn for the worst. on the way back, we had to take the metro and transfer at a station one stop closer to our last stop. at this stop, we all passed through the ticket counter and doors, not allowing us to return through. all of a sudden, we hear an explosion... and then another. we all look at each other as if nothing were wrong. then a mob of people start screaming and running towards us in this underground tunnel. we immediately started running towards the exit, hurling over and under the ticket doors. things kind of went black at this point and i think the adrenaline took hold, but i do remember all the exits were sealed with riot police. so we descended to another metro which took us to another stop. at this point i turned around, and realized we were missing drew. apparently he had gotten caught up in the fray and had been tear gassed. there was a protest at the metro and the police had set off the gas to disperse the crowd. after asking for directions, being told the wrong way, and walking all the way back to our dorms, which took an excess of an hour and a half, the rest of us were safe in addition to drew. we unfortunately missed the concert because of the fiasco.

that evening, we went out to dinner in this really quaint restaurant on the island next to that of notre-dame's. it was an enjoyable evening to a rather eventful day.

fast-forward a few hours... and a new day! the first sunday of the month is free entry to the louvre. so guess what drew, robyn, and i did all day today??? we made a pact that we're going to try and see EVERY ROOM in the ENTIRE museum. we have a map with a check off system. it's going to happen and it's going to be epic. it was also drew's birthday! after getting some food at the louvre cafeteria and starting our gloriously impossibly journey, we head home and take a stroll in the park in front of our dorms. it's a really nice park, very green with two playgrounds and beautiful walking paths. 

we then decided to watch some planet earth before dinner. for dinner, we found this quintessential parisian street near notre-dame that was just perfect. two course meal each and a bottle of wine for three people: 70 euros, which is an amazing deal. the rest of our group was meeting up at a sports bar to watch the bruins-canadiens game and the superbowl. we did, and it was mucho fun. some of us left early to catch the metro back home, others are waiting until they reopen at 530.

cheers and sorry for a lack of intimate details about today... i'm exhausted, jhabra

omg, this really hurts my butt, it's really hard

long story short, we went to the circus today, we met of montreal on the streets of paris, and we were caught in a metro station when tear gas was let loose. i'll write details and everything tomorrow. be prepared for a long and entertaining read...

cheers, jhabra

where are you guys???!!!

we had the opportunity to sleep in this morning, giving us time to rejuvenate ourselves and time to acclimate to the time change. i woke up around ten and had my first shower in our neato shower spaces. each shower is its own cubicle. we have to press this little button under the shower head continuously to get it to work, which was rather annoying at first. i just got the hang of it. the only other downside to the shower is the water temp isn't as hot as i would like it to be, but it's warm enough. a little later, drew and i went to a boulangerie down the street to grab some breakfast. i again had a pain au chocolat and a jus d'orange.

today was a special day because we had our placement exam. we thus spent the majority of the afternoon locked in our rooms reviewing. we arrived at the test center around 130, took a surprisingly hard exam, then travelled back to our dorms. nice and simple. after getting back, we ran into brendon who we invited to come along to grab some kebabs. there's this great place just down the street. it's not as good as the one on the rue de rosiers, but it would have to do for today.

next on the agenda was a guided tour of part of the louvre at what we thought was 630. first, brendon, drew, and i decided to have some fun is brendon's room. after a laughing fit and some ridiculous antics later, we decide it's time to leave at 615. we get the louvre around 635, but see nobody at the meeting spot. i decide to call melissa, one of our program guides. our conversation was the following:

Me: Hey, where are you guys???!!!

Her: I'm in the metro, where are you?

Me: Oh, you guys aren't here yet, okay good, we thought we were late.

Her: You're at the louvre? i already dropped everyone and left.

Me: Wait, what? doesn't the tour start at 630?

Her: Nooo, 615.

Me: Oh dammit.

yeah, so we missed it. we walked around part of the museum regardless, it's truly beautiful the art that lives there. some of the sculptures that are housed there blow my mind. it's not only the mere fact that the art is itself beautiful, but some of these pieces are gigantic. watching the art curators and workers get them into the museum is something that i would pay to see.

the tour was supposed to last until 745, so drew and i decided to wait until around 8 downstairs in hopes of running into our group. we had no such luck and just went home.

one hour later, a knock! everyone had come back to the dorms to hang out and drink for sam's 21st birthday. wine, liquor, cigarettes, meeting neighbors, and noise complaints, oh my! but now it's time for bed.

cheers, jhabra

i just blue myself

this morning we moved into our permanent residences at the cite. will had to wake up nice and early, hung over and all, around 630. my bed was on the floor, so he had to step over me to even do anything, so i was woken up nice an early anyways. i fell right back asleep though, so it was still a productive sleep. drew and i had to wake up at the same time. so i naturally woke up first, showered, and woke him up around 805. we had to be downstairs at 830. just as i shake him, our room phone rings. it was anne-marie, she was downstairs waiting for us...

backstory, there are protests in france, lots of them and they happen from time to time. over 1 million people were going to show up today according to the nytimes. traffic is awful, metros stop working, along with the RER and the bus lines; it just becomes a huge mess.

sooo, she told us to be ready around 830. but apparently, the roads weren't that bad in the morning, so we had to book it out of the room and fast to beat the crowds. two traffic jams and almost two of which we would have been part of later, we eventually arrived at our housing. our rooms are gigantic and in a very peaceful part of paris in the 14th arrondissement. it's a beautiful big white building, with textiles lining the floors. the entrance has the seal of the united states. the outside has a french and american flag flying in tandem. there's a Black man at the front who guards the desk. he's unbelievably friendly and helpful, yet he doesn't speak a word of english. i like that though, it's good practice.

after a quick exploration, a quick nap, drew and i just decided to chill. as i'm leaving my room, i hear panda bear coming from a computer down the hall. i stick my head in, and there's this tall guy name brendon who's been here since august studying. really nice kid. very indie and just cool. he, drew, robin and i talked until about 8, then we decided to go to dinner at a chinese place down the street. i had this four course meal for 8.90, it's a great deal.

on the walk home, we all realized we love arrested development. we quoted the entire show and laughed the whole way home. we unanimously agree that tobias and gob are the best characters.

we have our placement exam tomorrow, so i'm about to go to bed.

cheers, jhabra

le vingt-huit

after an awkward previous day and evening of should-i-talk or should-i-not antics, we have all already become very comfortable with each other. the morning was rough. we woke up pretty early because jet-lag is a grand ol' biznitch, but it did not ruin our day. drew and i got some breakfast at this quaint little boulangerie down the street from our citadine. it's right in front of this giant square with a fountain dans la rue des innocents. 

after some pain au chocolat we had to head to our api center for more orientation. anne-marie, our director, ran through the entirety of our orientation packet because let's face it, i was probably never going to read it anyway. it took forever, and all i wanted to do was fall back asleep. anne-marie brought us this almond paste pastry thing with little jesuses inside. the tradition in france remains the ones to find the miniatures must wear a crown on their head. i, unfortunately, did not win, which was somewhat disappointing because i like big, obvious, american bling. after some tea and a call from my uncle inviting me to my cousins wedding in two weeks (oh boy), we finally had some free time.

we all went back to the hotel to freshen up. gaby, kate, will, drew, and i met downstairs and decided we would walk to our next activity: a boat tour on the seine. i have done this many times before, but for some reason i was really excited for this time. the weather outside was mighty cold and cloudy, but that's paris in the spring. gaby was talking her mouth off, which broke many of the awkward silences. will was freezing his ass off. and drew was chilling with his giant nikon camera. we had a nice long walk to our meeting spot, the sculpture of henry IV. the most striking aspect was the shower of bird droppings it had accumulated on his head. that's what he gets for hunting them back in the day... karma's a biznitch too.

the boat tour was at dusk, just as the sparkling lights engulfed the eiffel tower. but it was so freaking cold that none of us could spend more than five minutes on the top level of the boat. so the majority was spent marveling at the apartments along the seine. i want to live there someday. 

after, drew, will, robin, and i broke off from the large group and went to dinner at this adorable restaurant. the new york times rated it five stars and gave it a one $. it was perfect. i ordered this penne and crab pasta thing. delicious. conversation and debauchery ensured, but i don't really remember about what. it seems like it could have been a seinfeld show.

later that night as drew, will, and i we lying in bed getting ready to fall asleep, gaby and a few girls knock on our door to go out. we quickly get dressed and attack an irish pub where there are russian mafia men and some bunch of scottish hooligans getting their drink on. we stayed there for a little bit only to see a man come out of the bathroom in a gorilla suit and a guy in a bunny suit passed out on a chair at the entrance to the pub. all in all a good night.

cheers, jhabra

made it

i'm in paris. it's beautiful. i really love this city. my flight over here was somewhat brutal. i sat next to this french woman who continuously insisted on crossing my lap to look out the window. i never really wanted to talk to her, but inevitably did. she was on vacation in the states with her husband. they tried to hit every major city, and ended up in miami for the everglades. she showed me all 300 of her pictures. after 8 grueling hours and poor sleep, i never caught her name.

after i landed, i had to meet my program leader at some terminal, which meant packing up all my shit and traversing the entirety of charles de gaule... t'was not fun. i ended up being the first one there and arguing with the woman about how cape cod is not the only island. as tedious as the conversation was, i enjoyed talking to someone about home. eventually more people showed up and we began talking.

one of the three guys on my program was the next to arrive. we have similar music interests, have played guitar forever, and have relatively long hair. so i have a new friend. his name is drew.

later we all passed out in the hotel for a little, then woke up, went to the most boring orientation presentation i have ever been to in my life, then had a group dinner. i sat next to this talkative french canadian, gabriele. she likes the habs, which doesn't sit well with me, but c'est la vie. there's also robin, a vivacious light skinned vegetarian who enjoys of montreal and ghost stories. she's really cool.

i'm about to go meet my uncle for a drink.

cheers, jhabra