In an effort to soak up every lasting opportunity, my housemates and I thought it would be a grand idea to skip away and visit Paris for the weekend. For me, it was a welcome distraction to the fact that I missed Thanksgiving with my family – admittedly one of the hardest days of my time here.   The odd coincidence of being assigned Sting Ray for my morning’s menu, however, did make me shake my head in comic relief.  I got to work straight away and tried not to dwell on missing home. I am, after all, so very thankful for what I came here to do, and to my family who has supported me throughout the journey! I got to talk to every last member of my family by the day’s end, and there’s not much more I could ask for than that. 

My friends and I are all quite giddy about going home in a couple of weeks, and are therefore, a bit hyped about Christmas and all its bells and whistles.  The Christmas Markets in Paris were calling, as well as an opportunity to sample some delicious bites.  For the Australian, Canadian and American in question, well, the thought that Paris could be reached in just under 2 hours on a regional jet was just too exciting a thought to be suppressed.  After all, we still have all of next weekend to study for our final exams, right?  Arriving on Friday evening, we proceeded to begin eating our way through the birthplace of fine ‘gastronomie’.  After a solid meal and a good night’s rest, we started out at 9 am the next day – and since we walked until 6 pm, I figure that the caloric intake was most definitively washed out with the number of hours we walked.  Ok, maybe not, but let me be happy in my delusion!  We were six culinary students taking the streets of Paris with curious appetites and cameras at the ready – sampling bites and snapping photos down every road we discovered.  I wandered into a pastry shop and talked myself into the back where an unsuspecting baker gave me an impromptu lesson at laminating a brioche dough with chocolate and praline.  I was in HEAVEN.  My rusty high school French and Disney-esque excitement gave me the ability to communicate with this kind baker, and I’m sure he found me quite amusing.  Looking back, I have to laugh at what I did!

Never a dull moment, our day was a bit derailed by a riot that ensued in the streets.  We witnessed the onset of the activities as several hundred people started marching, and were thankfully far enough away when things started to get ugly.  Visible fires, police armed with tear gas and sirens blaring held us in suspense of just how far things would go.  We kept our distance, but our attempt to returning to our hotel was a bit impeded due to our hotel being on the other side (by a mere two block’s distance!) of all the commotion and closed streets. We had already walked ALL DAY, and so a cab ride back circumvented the center of the riot, but took almost an hour. Therefore, our time at the Christmas market was cut short, but not before perusing the stalls with all the wonderful offerings at arm’s length.  I found that the best deterrent to spending a lot of money was to bring a small suitcase.  I already have all I can manage getting myself back home with my three-month’s worth of stuff!  Coming back will just have to go on my wish list!

I finished my short weekend in Paris by going to church on Sunday morning in a beautiful cathedral.  I’ve always felt that there is something so touching about experiencing a church in a foreign country.  To put it simply, it makes me feel connected to both my family and to complete strangers alike through a mutual faith.  It’s a peaceful and happy experience, feeling close to my loved ones despite being so far from home.   And just like that, with one last coffee and a croissant, my quick trip to Paris came to an end as we jaunted back to the airport and returned to our home away from home. 

 We have one week of class remaining, and I am now organizing myself to begin studying for our exams.  A wine exam takes place on Wednesday of this week, followed by our three written exams and our final practical next week.   I will be finishing here on December 7th and heading home within a few days’ time from then.

Wish me luck!  (Ha Ha – after all, I am in Ireland…..the perfect place for good luck, right???)