Best Office Buddy Ever

My office buddy and I have become friends over the past few months. He is super nice and pretty much awesome. He practices his English with me and he is a fairly good speaker. He knows the language pretty well but he still makes some mistakes which usually make me laugh.

Last week he resigned. He got another job offer in Lille where his girlfriend lives and decided to take it. In France, there is a five weeks notice, so he will be leaving right around the same time as me. I am excited that he won’t be leaving before me because I would be so lonely without him. He has decided to work from 10-4 everyday as his new schedule. We also chat all day long and seeing as his work is being taken over by the new hire, and I have “no” boss, we basically do nothing. Yesterday, he closed the door to our office so that no one would know that we weren’t doing any work. For lunch yesterday we all ordered pizza and ate in. My office buddy paid for me which was super nice of him. It wasn't the first time he has paid for me either. He is awesome! I am really going to miss him when I go home.

Look Who's Back, Look Who's Back Again

On Tuesday when I returned to work, I did my usual morning routine when someone came into the office to say good morning. I turned to see who it was and it was my boss. I know what you are all thinking – Nicole, you must see him everyday. Oh contraire. He has been out since mid-April recovering from surgery. He was supposed to be back mid-May, but that never happened. So I was super excited to see him and to find out that he was, you know, still with us. He didn’t really have a lot of time to chitchat so we got right to business and I filled him in on my progress. Once that was finished, he left and I didn’t see him for the rest of the day. On Wednesday, he only stopped in to my office to say hi and then left. I mean I know I am only an intern, but wouldn’t that give him even more reason to check in on me. I guess not! Thursday I went up to his office to discuss something with him, to find out that he wouldn’t be back until Monday. I want his life. Two months off, comes back for three days and off again for another two. I asked my office buddy – what’s up with that! – and he said that he is back only part time. News to me. He will be working Monday thru Wednesday for the time being.

Monday Morning Meeting

On Monday, June 18th, I had a meeting in Montargis. This would be the 4th time I have been to Montargis. The rest of the project team is based there. Unfortunately, my boss would not be able to drive me like he usually does so I had to take the train and then take a taxi to the building. I felt so grown up having a business meeting in which all expenses were covered by my company. There were not a lot in attendance but the meeting went fairly well. We then had a nice lunch although I am not entirely sure what animal it was I ate. It wasn’t chicken and it didn’t taste like duck, so really it could have been anything. It was good regardless. After lunch, we finished up a few issues and then my colleague who was heading back into Paris offered to give me a lift. It was pretty sweet. We talked the whole ride back to Paris, about an hour and a half ride, but it went by really quickly. It was too awkward or anything either. I only have one more meeting left, the 6th one, which means that my internship is almost over!! Crazy how fast it is going by.

Pancake Breakfast

The next morning we decided to have a pancake breakfast. It worked out perfectly seeing as most everyone was a little hungover from the night before. We made bacon, eggs, pancakes, and Grace made her special German apple pancake. Oh and real maple syrup. Everything was delicious and definitely hit the spot. Jeff brought some champagne so we also made mimosas! It happened to be Father’s Day so we were all celebrating in a way although there were no Father’s amongst us.

Dinara and Naomi's Final Fling

On Saturday, June 16th my friends Dinara and Naomi were having a “final fling” party because they were headed back to England the following week. We all met up at their house for some food, drinks, and fun. It was kinda sad because it was their last party but it was still fun at the same time. We played Kings, but the British way so it was a little different than ours. Dinara and Naomi also made some house rules for their party which made it especially difficult to follow. For example, you were not allowed to say drink, drank, or drunk but rather consume and if you did say one of these words, you had to consume! It was so odd saying consume and there were plenty of times in which I forgot. It turned out to be a “happy” night for everyone.

The Best Place on Earth

When I came home from work on Wednesday, June 13th, my friends and I went laser tagging. I didn’t know that the place even existed and I have been here for nearly a year. The place was much more than just laser tagging, it was a complex filled with games. We had to go in two trips because there were so many of us. I was in the first group with Jungho, Kristie, and Dinara. We decided to head in and wait for the others. Kristie and I went to the arcade and played a round of air hockey and then we headed upstairs to find a bowling alley, billiards, laser tag, and go-karting aka the best place on earth. We were in awe. We decided to play a round of pool because the others weren’t there yet. Contrary to American pool, French bowling balls don’t have numbers and they are not distinguished by solids and stripes. Instead, there are red and yellow balls. The 8 ball is still black and the only ball with a number. The balls are also smaller as were the pockets and the table. We didn’t play too well, but we had fun.



Everyone finally made it and we headed into laser tag. This was the first time for a few people so they were especially excited. We all got split up into two groups and then it was go time. Each round was 15 minutes long and it was so much fun. They used a little too much of the smoke machine though because it was super hard to see where you were going by the end, but it turned out well. The first timers loved it. 


Our next stop was go-karts! We had to split up into three groups so Jeff, Grace, and I were in the third group. We had so much fun ramming into each other. The track was pretty sweet too because it had an upper and lower level. We were the only three that really hit each other. It was fun when we were doing it, but the next day my body was pretty sore and bruised. Totes worth it though.

Once we all went go-karting we decided to go bowling. All the girls played on one lane while the guys played on another. We decided to play for who can get the lowest points because we were all doing so badly. I was definitely out of practice. We had fun bowling between our legs and just goofing off. All the Frenchies were looking at us like we were idiots, but we had a blast. By the time we finished, the place was closing up and we had to leave. I mean it was midnight! Such a fun day :)

Wine and Cheese Party

Grace and I have wanted to throw a wine and cheese party for quite some time now and we finally decided to just do it. We invited all of our friends and everyone had to bring a brick of cheese or a bottle of wine, or both if you are feeling generous. You also had to dress fancy. 

After work I met Jungho and Grace in centre ville. Grace and I both bought new outfits for the party. We then helped Jungho pick out a nice collared shirt. We stopped at two bakeries on the way home to get baguettes for the event. I bought five and Grace another five and we were walking through town with all our baguettes. We felt so French. We then stopped at Simply to get some cheese, wine, and sausage. Afterwards we headed home, showered, got dressed, and set up everything. Everyone came to Grace’s room and they all brought wine, cheese, or both which was awesome. We then got right to business with trying all the different cheeses and wines. No two people brought the same wine, so we had lots of varieties. There were a few doubles on the cheese but there were so many different kinds. I tried a bunch that I had never had before. The Czechs definitely had the best outfits of the night! If there were awards, they would have won best dressed. 

Grace and I felt so grown up with hosting our own party, and it turned out to be such a hit. By the end of the night everyone had a nice wine drunk going on and full of cheese. The next morning we counted 20 empty bottles! I would definitely consider that a success!

What's for Dinner?

Last week was the week of making dinners.


Sunday, June 3rd:
Jeff, Jungho, Grace, and I
Roasted pork loin, broccoli, mashed potatoes, mushroom and onion sauce
Sunday family dinner.


Monday, June 4th:
Jeff, Jungho, Grace, and I:
Leftovers from the day before
Then we went to Dinara’s to watch the season finale of Game of Thrones with everyone. She made pigs in a blanket and they were so good.


Tuesday, June 5th:
Jeff, Jungho, Grace, Macka, and I:
Sautéed shrimp, cucumbers, corn, and a salad
First time we made shrimp.


Wednesday, June 6th:
Jeff, Jungho, Grace, Stephan, and I:
Make your own crêpes – eggs, lardon, potatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, avocado, and tomatoes
Jungho’s roommate has an actual crêpe maker so we used that and made our own. They were delicious! We made dessert crêpes afterwards too.


Thursday, June 7th:
Jungho, Grace, Macka, and I:
Indonesian oodles ‘n noodles
Macka made us these Indonesian spicy noodles. They were so delicious. We tried them in a soup form and alone with the sauce. Afterwards we headed to Pic, the student bar, and met up with everyone there. We had some beers and played some games. We played warrior, ABCD (a Korean game where we legit slapped each other, it was really fun though), and some old-school games like Tiko Valley Oh My and Miss Mary Mack. People were staring at us, but we were having such a fun time that we didn’t even notice. On our way home from the Pic, we saw a friend at the kebab place smoking hookah so we joined and got some free hookah and orangina.


That brings us to Friday, June 8th:
Everyone
Wine and Cheese Party

Fête des Voisins

After a very eventful May, June has shown no signs of being any different. A fête des voisins, a neighborhood party for the dorms I live in, was planned for Friday, June 1st. I came home from work and met up with Jungho and Grace who were already hanging out in Grace’s room. We were chatting and drinking some beers when Jeff joined us. We decided to move down to Jeff’s room because he had made skittles vodka and we all wanted to try it. At that point, the Swedes were done getting ready. They decided to all dress up like each other and the rule was if you weren’t acting like your person then you had to drink. By the time we saw them at maybe 9pm, they were already gone. Markus was Vicka, Vicka was Simpa, Simpa was Henka, and Henka was Macka. They were hilarious and definitely looked and acted the part. Although most of them acted like Macka but it was still funny. We continued on with our party in Jeff’s room and it was definitely a night to remember, or forget. Two of our other friends joined us for the festivities. Everyone was super hyper and we were all dancing and jumping around. The night consisted of a lot of body slamming, pig piles, empty beer bottles, ripped clothes (well just Macka's), and a broken bed for Jeff. Let’s just say we didn’t quite make it to the fête des voisins, but instead we had our own little neighborhood party. It was quite the night. Everyone definitely enjoyed themselves.

Grace's Birthday

Grace’s birthday was May 30th so we decided to have a little get together. Our usual crew met up in Grace’s room. The Swedes made Grace a special birthday drink. Jeff and I decided to make dinner for everyone. We made coconut breaded chicken with an apricot-mustard sauce, green beans, onions, and rice. You know, something quick and easy. We had made this recipe before and it was delicious. This time around we were cooking for more than 10 people so it was a little harder. We managed to get everything out on the table with it all being hot! Everyone scarfed down the food. 


Once we finished eating, we continued on with celebrating Grace’s birthday. The Czechs had brought their own homemade alcohol, so we were all taking turns drinking from the bottle. It’s really good, but super strong. Somehow we started playing spin the bottle and had quite a few laughs especially because the girl to guy ratio was 1:2. They boys were hilarious when they had to kiss other guys, but they were all champs and did it. By the time we stopped playing I am pretty sure everyone had kissed everyone. I guess you are never too old to play spin the bottle. 


Someone mentioned heading to the island so we all packed up and headed out. Why this was a good idea, I am not sure, but at the time it sounded like a great idea. We made our way through Compiègne to where the bridge is and eventually made it to the island. The only problem was we didn’t know what to do once we got there. We ended up just talking and goofing around. I had to go to work the next morning so I called it a night a little earlier than the others. I left them to continue on with celebrating. Grace’s birthday was one for the books.

Two American Cousins in Paris

My cousin Ryan has been living in France with his girlfriend for a little while now and we decided to meet up in Paris on May 27th. I got up and took the train into Paris. I met Ryan and his girlfriend, Flora, at the Gare du Nord. It was a wonderful reunion. Our other cousin Alan was supposed to come down from London, but he couldn’t make it. 


First we headed up to Sacré Coeur. We decided to walk from the Gare du Nord this time. There was another wine and cheese festival in Montmartre. We walked around there for a little while and then headed to the painter’s section. We bought some strawberries from a vendor and ate them as we walked around. We wondered down to Moulin Rouge and then took the metro over to the Bastille. 

Once we got there we looked for a place to eat. We were going to eat at Hippopotamus, but they were really rude so we decided to look for another place. We walked past a small Korean restaurant and it smelled so good that we decided to go in for lunch. It was a hibachi type of place so we got to cook our own food right at the table. Flora ordered spring rolls while Ryan and I both ate dumplings. For our main course, Flora had breaded shrimp, Ryan had spicy chicken, and I had beef teriyaki. We all had a side of rice to accompany our meals and it was delicious. I would definitely go back! After lunch we wandered down Rue du Rivoli until we crossed over the Seine to le Marais. When Katie was here she told me that the best ice cream was in this area so we went in search of it. The ice cream is called Berthillon. We had to wait in line for a really long time, but it was definitely worth it. While in line, I looked over and saw three police officers at the bar. It was so funny to see three officers on duty at the bar. Clearly there was a lot going on in the area. As for my ice cream, I decided on a scoop of cassis and a scoop of coffee. The guy looked at me funny because these weren’t two flavors that people usually order together but I wanted both of them.  It was amazing! We ate our ice cream while sitting on the wall along the Seine.

After eating our ice creams, we walked along the Seine, past Notre Dame and stopped near St. Michel to decide where to go next. I had about an hour left until my train home so we decided to go to Happy Hour. I mean we are Bonvouloirs. We all got beers and they were thirst quenchingly good. Unfortunately, I had to get going so we said our goodbyes at the RER station. It was sad to say goodbye because it had been so nice catching up with Ryan. We joked around all day and it was awesome. I headed back to Gare du Nord to catch my train but I ended up missing it by a couple of minutes so I had to wait another hour for the next one. It was okay though because I had my kindle with me - best investment ever!

A Dic-Nic on the Island

Saturday, May 26th was warm and sunny, a rarity for Compiègne. My friends and I headed into centre ville to go to the wine and cheese fair. Yes France would have a wine and cheese fair. There were tons of different wines but we were all too shy to go up and ask for a tasting. The vendors were more interested in people who actually wanted to buy their wine. After the fair, we headed to the Château to sit and have a snack. We found a secret garden that none of us had ever seen before and decided to eat there.

Later that night we decided to have a dic-nic (dinner pic-nic). I know what you were all thinking! We went to Simply to get some goodies and headed out to the island. Apparently Compiègne does in fact have an island. We walked across the pedestrian bridge and made our way to the tip of the island. Once there we set up camp and enjoyed some food, sangria, and the l’Oise. I had asked my mom for her sangria recipe and decided to give a stab at it. It was delicious!  I guess I got my mom’s gene for making fabulous sangria :) As the sun was setting we packed up and headed back over the bridge. We all stopped to snap a few photos though. The sunset was really pretty.

He was enjoying the sunset too or suicidal!!

Since the finale of Eurovision was airing that night we headed to our friends house to meet up with everyone and watch it on her tv. Eurovision is a singing competition throughout Europe, kind of like American Idol but each European country sends one singer. Sweden won this year with Euphoria. A great song by the way, look it up if you haven’t heard it. All of my Swedish friends were so excited. It was a fantastic day filled with great weather, friends, food, and music!

Foster-Glocester, France

On Monday May 21st my alarm went off at 4:52am. I had to get up to head to a meeting. This particular meeting was to take place at a plant in Gamaches which is in the Normandy region. I had to take a train from Compiègne to Amiens then another train to Abancourt where I then got on a bus and finally made it t was to Gamaches. A co-worker picked me up there. Whilst on my journey I definitely found the Foster-Glocester (no school) of France. I got off the train in Abancourt to find a shack of a train station, cows and tractors. Oh, don't forget the one cafe/hotel in all of the town.

The bus ride to Gamaches was not any more exciting than Abancourt. We passed field are field of cows, a few horses and an occasional house. After about a half hour we pull into the Longroy-Gamaches "train station." Three other people got off the bus with me to find the train station all boarded up and absolutely no sign of life around. It was legit the middle of nowhere. It didn't help that it was a cloudy day, on the verge of rain that made the whole situation worse. I felt like I was in a movie and this was the part where the main character gets taken out by a zombie or something unnatural.

So after travelling four hours, I finally made it to the plant for the meeting that lasted a total of an hour and a half. An hour and a half!!!! Ridiculous. We did go out for a nice lunch in the next town over. Only a 10km drive away. You could have driven halfway across RI! Lunch was delicious and when we returned to the plant, they gave us a tour. This plant produced precision-molding seals. It was huge and produced 100s of different pieces, some of them for Bosch, BMW, Renault and many more companies. Most of the factory workers were women which I found very odd. I was expecting to see more men, but it was definitely a 5-1 girl to guy ratio. Everyone was super nice and greeted us when we went to their station, but man what a boring job they have. I definitely know I don't want to be doing their job!

Once we toured the whole plant, it was about 4pm. Unfortunately my train wasn't until 5:42pm so one of the guys in the meeting stayed with me and then dropped me off at the train station. I was expecting a bus to come again when a one car train pulled up. I was a little hesitant to get on, not knowing where it would take me, but I asked the conductor if it was going to Abancourt and it was. After a very interesting day, I finally made it back to civilization!

 

Adam and Mary Visit

A week after I met with the IEP, I headed to the airport to pick up Adam and his sister Mary. They were starting their European adventure in France. Because they had been travelling all night and most of the day, we just headed back to Compiègne so they could shower, eat something and go to bed early. It was a holiday on Thursday so of course there were no buses running so we took a cab. It was my first time ever taking a cab in France.

On Friday, we got up early and headed into Paris. We started with Sacré Coeur and worked our way around the city. We had breakfast at a little café in Montmartre before heading down to see Moulin Rouge. Mary wanted to go to the Hard Rock Café so we found out where it was and took the metro over there. She likes to buy a shirt from each city she visits. I didn’t even know there was one in Paris. After she shopped, we went to the bar and ordered a bucket of Coronas. I know, I know, how American of us. We ended up staying for lunch too. After lunch we headed over to see the Eiffel Tower and Trocádero. Adam ended up taking a nap in the grass while Mary sketched.  They were still jetlagged so we headed home after the Eiffel Tower. We made dinner at my place and just hung out.

Saturday morning we headed to Pierrefonds, a tiny medieval town just down the road from Compiègne. This was my first time there so I was excited to see the Chateau. The castle reminded us of Harry Potter but it is actually the filming location for Merlin. It was pretty sweet. We toured the castle and the crypt which was so eerie, but very cool and then had lunch down by the lake. After lunch we had a little time before the bus came so we went exploring a little bit and ended up finding some nature trails in the woods. When we got back to Compiègne I showed them the Chateau of Compiègne and then we walked through the medieval fair that was taking place in town that weekend. We had a very medieval day!

The Crypt

View of Pierrefonds from the Chateau

Church in Pierrefonds

The pews were numbered!

Sunday’s schedule involved Paris again so we got up early and took the train. Adam and Mary would be leaving for Spain on Monday morning so they stayed over in a hostel on Sunday night. We got them all checked in and then headed towards the Bastille. From there we went to Breakfast in America for brunch, Notre Dame, and the Louvre. I had already been inside so I decided to leave them and head home. It was really nice to see them and hang out with friends from home. 

The 44th Floor

This year’s annual IEP board meeting was scheduled to be in France. It would be the first time that the IEP meeting would be held in France and it was very exciting because I was going to be able to meet up with everyone! I was asked to talk at the meeting about my internship and experience in France. I met up with everyone on Thursday May 11^th.  I met them at the hotel, which by the way was gorgeous. I had been looking for Angela when I came across Dean Wright (the Dean of Engineering) sitting in the lobby. So I went up and talked with him for a little while before everyone else made their way down. Turns out it was his first time in France.

                Once I had my little IEP reunion with Angela and Katie, the whole group went to Total. Total has had a number of French IEP students intern with them during their year abroad. I actually work for a subsidiary of Total.  We headed to the headquarters in La Defense, which is right outside of Paris. Our meeting was held on the 44^th floor (the top floor) and the view from the conference room was breathtaking. One of the Total workers whom we were with, said that it was her first time to have a meeting on the 44^th floor. It is only reserved for special occasions. I gave my presentation without a problem. I wasn’t even nervous, which was probably a first for me. I was just so excited to see familiar faces and tell everyone what I have been doing. Everyone said I did a great job. Katie said that I was a natural and looked so relaxed to be talking in front of so many important people such as the Deans and President Dooley, the President of URI. Who me? I don't like to talk!

                After the meeting, Total treated the IEP board to a dinner cruise along the Seine. I had never done this before, so it was a great experience. When you first boarded the boat, they handed you a glass of champagne. At that moment I knew that this was going to be a fantastic dinner. As the evening wore on, we mingled with our glasses of never ending champagne, hors d’oeuvres and the sun setting against the Eiffel Tower. I felt like I was in a movie! It was amazing. We then went below and had a lovely dinner and I got to catch up with Katie and Angela and also some of the others. It was pretty awesome to be talking to the Board, the Deans and President Dooley, who is such a nice guy and is quite funny too. Not many people can say that they have ever met their President, let alone share stories over champagne. I felt so important! The whole day was just perfect. I had the pleasure of staying at the hotel that night with everyone else. Unfortunately in the morning I had to work and wouldn’t be able to spend the day with everyone. Thanks to the IEP for giving me such a fantastic day :)