Véronique not in Paris: Gumbo!

I missed a party this weekend. I was invited to a Chinese New Year party which I was really looking forward to. The hostess cheekily asked all people born in the year of the rat (which means me, Miss. 1984) to wear red underwear. Not owning any, I actually bought some pretty crimson underthings specifically for this purpose. In my mind the party was on Sunday, but I realized too late that it actually on Saturday. FRUSTRATING! On the plus side, I do have some sexy new underwear, as well as 2 new dresses and a black turtle neck, all of which will allow me to better blend in with the chic natives.

The other day I went to see a really fascinating exhibit at L’Hôtel de Ville called “Paris en couleurs.” It featured photographs of the city since the advent of colour photography, around 1918, to today. That means pictures of Paris when people were still getting around with horse-drawn carriages, as well as pictures from the German occupation, all the way to Paris celebrating the turn of the millennium. You know, this video explains it a lot better:

Expo « Paris en couleurs » à l?Hôtel de Ville
Uploaded by mairiedeparis

I also hosted a party chez moi the last weekend. I made my first Cajun gumbo, which turned out surprisingly good. The small crowd, which included some friends from the exchange as well as some friends of my co-host Erin, made the party very lively and fun. Here are some pictures:

This is the picture we put on the Facebook invitation. We look hot, right?

School starts Monday. I am taking a course about Cubism, one about German art from 1945-60, one about movements in modern Western art, and one about the History of Paris. I’m actually pretty excited! I just hope they aren’t too hard or stressful, as I am allergic to hard work. I also don’t have any school on Fridays (hurrah!) and the earliest I start is 10am, which is only on Wednesday (double hurrah!). So, to sum up, my schedule kicks some serious ass.