Disney Trumps School

My classes end in exactly four days. Considering the fact that I've been in class since January, I'm ready to be done with classes.

Naturally, I'm not ready to leave Paris. I've already begun making plans to come back. I just looked up how to get a job at EuroDisney, and this is what I found:


Character work : Make dreams come true by bringing to life the famous Disney Characters, including the Princes & Princesses. No formal training is needed, just an abundance of energy, a big smile and a dream in your heart.


Energy? Check. A big smile? Check. A dream in my heart? I have more than one, so I'm overqualified.

I'm pretty sure I was born for that job.

Now no judgements please, but Molly and I are going back to Disneyland on Friday. It's her third to last day. This time we're going with British friends. They have been warned that Molly and I stick to the Pirates' Code: any man who falls behind is left behind. They laughed and thought we were joking, but they'll see.

Molly and I have actually had everyday planned out for the last two weeks to ensure that we covered everything before she leaves next Sunday. We've been mapping out our favorite meals and places. Someone in our class tried to set up a going away party for us, but that was Disney day, so I had to gently let them down.

Our French friends are utterly disgusted with our choice to go to Disneyland again. They all had some snippity comments to make, but soon stopped after I told them all they were Satanists for hating the most magical place on Earth.

The past week has been very fun. Molly received to vouchers for free meals from Hardrock Cafe, so we used them on Friday. Each voucher was for an appetizer, an entree, a dessert and a free drink. We had so much food on the table that at one point one of the servers went, "Look at that! It looks like they're having a damn picnic!" We ended up having 6 full boxes of food to take home. Our server couldn't look us in the eye because he started laughing every single time. But then, we were laughing too. We also went to the Phantom of the Opera's opera house again. Many dramatic pictures were taken. No Phantom sitings yet. I fear he's on vacation.

I have acquired a boyfriend. In France if you go on dates two days in a row, you're dating. True story. I was unaware of this rule until someone I hadn't been aware I'd been dating gave me the friend's speech. I think he was more confused than I was when I said, "Wait, weren't we already friends?" This is probably why relationships in Paris don't last very long. Anyway, this new guy (Théo) actually eats more than I do, so he wins. Though he refuses to come with me to Disneyland. His loss.

I have four tests in the next three days. And three papers (though I'm almost done with one of them). I should probably go study for those. I have absolutely no idea how I'll do in these French classes. The French aren't as straightforward about things like what you're learning or what's due or what's going to be on the final. They just give you a bunch of worksheets and go, "OK! Guess! Hope you're right!"

Molly and I tried to get one of our teachers to tell us what would be on the test and she started this monologue about Smurfs (or Schtrumpfs in French)- as in the cartoon characters. I'm not even joking. We were like, "Yes, Smurfs are blue... that's very nice. We assume that won't be on the test, but we were wondering if the past tense will be... What? No real answer? Still going on about Smufs? Ok." It's a tad bit irritating, so right now I'm just going to study as much as I can and pray that something she handed us a worksheet on will be one the test. There's about a 50% chance that it will be.

Pray for my French grades. They will probably need it.

Disneyland: Meghan's Future Home

I LOVE DISNEYLAND PARIS! If I could live there, I would. At the end of the day, Molly and I were trying to think of places we could hide for the night so that no one would be able to kick us out. Though we had a few promising sleeping places, we did actually end up leaving.

We went on almost every single ride, except "It's A Small World" because I have a great fear of getting stuck on the ride and being forced to listen to that stupid song for hours on end, after which I will go crazy and jump off the boat, smashing in all the heads of those singing dolls.

It's a very detailed fear.

There really aren't words to describe my day, so I'll make one up: funnificent. Yes, it was a very funnificent day. We ran around all through the park and were probably more excited than all the small children when we saw Sleeping Beauty and Prince Phillip. Of course, they'd only take pictures with the small children (it's prejudice, I tell you), but I still saw them!

We were exhausted but incredibly happy by the time we got back.

This morning I found a note from the Italian I met in the kitchen asking if I wanted to do something. We ended up going to a free museum with Molly, Musée du quai Branly. It was mostly African, Native American, and Indonesian art. Though it had no French stuff, it was still pretty cool. The national museums in Paris are always free the first Sunday of the month. It's quite lovely.

The Italian's name is Giovanni, which is so Italian that it's equal to meeting someone named Pierre in France. I've convinced him to be our guide through Italy for Spring Break. Myriem (Mimi, the Moroccan girl from our foyer) is going to be our guide through Morocco, and we're still attempting to find a Grecian to show us through Greece but Mimi and Molly have a Greek friend here so it shouldn't be too hard.

I think I should be their guide through Disneyland. It's only fair.

I've Just Seen a Face...

Yesterday, Molly and I walked past a GORGEOUS guy in our foyer. We both turned to each other as soon as we turned the corner said "damn" at the same time.

When I was doing laundry this morning, he was in the kitchen by himself, cooking food that smelled really good (I think the guys in our foyer cook better than the girls; except me, the cooking goddess). Of course, I didn't want to be impolite and just ignore the beautiful man, so I began talking to him. He offered me food straight away, so I can already tell we're going to be friends.

He's Italian, speaks English, is very nice, and is going to be a lawyer. Basically, he's going to be featured in one of my romance novels. Except he'll be a count and when he meets the heroine his shirt will be off.

I invited him to come with me and some friends to Père Lachaise on Sunday. What's Père Lachaise you ask? It's a cemetary. I know, I'm such a romantic. I mean, it's a cemetary where a lot of famous people are buried (like Oscar Wilde and Bob Dylan), but still.

Tomorrow I'm going to Disneyland!!!!!!!! My excitement cannot be contained. Molly asked me if it was ok if we left at 8:30 so that we could be there when the gates opened and I said, "We are going from the time it opens until the time it closes. I accept nothing else. Bring food if eating's important to you."

12 hours of pure happiness await! I'm bringing my camera and pictures of me are being taken with the Disney princesses and furry woodland creatures. I hope you're all ready for them.

I've Already Failed at Lent

Giving up English for Lent has been a bad idea. Apparently, I don't know enough French. I'll just put this on my list entitled "Things I've Given Up for Lent That Have Only Lasted for 3 Hours."

At least I went to church to get ashes today. I've forgotten to mention it before, but Jesus tastes better in France. (Can I go to Hell for saying that?) Not many people in my program are Catholic, so they had very strong reactions to seeing the ashes on my forehead. Most of them thought it was a massive bruise. My favorite was "Oh my God, Meghan! What happened to you?!" I told her I'd gotten into a fight on the metro, but added, "You should see the other guy."

I should probably give up lying for Lent, but where's the fun in that?

None of us were sure where to go this weekend. Prague, Barcelona, and Italy were too expensive, but then Molly and I found something for 29 euro: Disneyland Paris. That's right, I'm chillaxin with Mickey this weekend! I can't wait. I figure I'm not really Parisian until I've been to their Disneyland. I mean, isn't that how you're supposed to judge a country? It's not by the character of its people, or how good its food is, or how pretty it is, or by its economy. No, it's by how awesome their Disney theme park is. And if they don't have a Disney themepark they don't even count as a country. As only 4 countries have Disney resorts, pretty much the entire world is screwed.

Although technically the Paris resort is a Euro Disney resort, so I guess all of Europe is covered.

I bought Twilight in French! I only know what they're saying because I've read it six million times in English, but my program director told me this was a good thing. I suppose I'm learning more words this way. I think I've hit a French roadblock, though. I'm way better at pronouncing things now, but I think my mind got tired of learning words and is now like "Screw this. You know how to order food. What more do you want from me?!"

I have homework, so I should probably go do that. I wrote a short story this afternoon in English instead of doing anything productive in French. I'm going to do homework then force Mimi to talk to me only in French. Though, I lent her Twilight while I was writing my story so I doubt she'll want to speak to any human beings until she finishes it. Such is the power of Edward Cullen.