Life as a (Busy) Parisian…

So, here we are again… me, apologizing for the long delay since my last post, and you shaking your head at me and thinking that I need to be more consistent with my updates. It’s not really my fault though, seriously… there’s just been so much going on that every time I think I should write, I think that I’ll wait until the weekend, or until after the weekend, or until after the holidays… and then I got sick and was pretty much in bed for two weeks… and then I had no internet… and then… yes, yes, fine, I’ll stop with the excuses already.

How about we call a truce? I promise to post more regularly, and you promise to forgive me? Sound good? Yay!

 

New Year’s Eve @ Pravda

Okay, so to resolve the conundrum of where to start from the past month and a half, I’m just going to give a quick summary and move on to the here and now. Basically, in December we had a bunch of major assignments due as we approached the end of the term. Then, for those of us who opted to partake, the retail boutique internship started for the first week of the holidays. This, unfortunately, didn’t go so well for me as I fell ill and had to miss half of the work week. At that same time, I was in the midst of moving to my new Parisian home and also packing for my trip back home. Then, I went back home for two weeks, where the first was spent being spoiled by my parents while I was still pretty sick, and the second was spent seeing my friends that I’ve missed so much, enjoying Toronto and ringing in the New Year Pravda-style . And then back to Paris I came.

A Reflection on Paris

Paris: the most romantic city in the world. Or is it? I think Paris is a city of contradictions – within a single day you can see a sweet affection of love between a cute couple and also see a homeless person urinating on the street (and sometimes see both at the same time). You can have an incredible dinner, with outstanding service, at a restaurant – only to be rudely rejected by the very same establishment a few hours later when trying to go to the bar. While sitting on the same train, you can witness an act of generosity when a young teenager gets up to offer his seat to an elderly man, and just a few minutes later also witness a woman’s necklace being ripped off her neck. Paris is a city of contradictions. There’s no ifs, ands or buts about it.

From Horses to Champagne to Finance…

As usual, I’ve been running around like a chicken with my head cut off the past few weeks. Between brunching at Ladurée, working on finance cases, apartment-hunting, accounting and various other presentations, there’s been little time for sleep. The peak of this sleeplessness happened this past weekend when I literally went 40 hours without sleep (which was, for the most part, completely my choice and really not something I should be complaining about!).

 

Gucci Paris Masters

It started on Friday, I had all day class on Consumer Behaviour (alright which actually is quite interesting), and then was heading into the city to go see the Gucci Paris Masters. That’s a show jumping competition that takes place once a year in which big names from the equestrian world take part. I had been able to get a great seat right up front for the first day of the competition and couldn’t wait to go. And let me tell you, it was everything I was expecting it to be and more. I had SUCH an amazing time… it was one of those moments that, as I sat there (eating Fauchon macarons), I just felt so lucky to be able to be living one of my “dreams”. It may be a bit hard to understand, but attending a horse show of this caliber was something I had always wanted to do and it wasn’t something that was easily possible in Toronto. Yet, in Paris, it seemed like no big deal to be there – it was so accessible and just seemed like a regular everyday type of occurrence. It was an amazing feeling to think that I was actually living the life I had been wanting to live.

The Art of Juggling

I feel like every post, I start by saying how crazy the last two weeks have been… but honestly, between courses, conferences, group work, assignments, seeing my family, going out with friends and running errands, it’s a wonder that I even find time to sleep (or eat macarons! ). The past two weeks, of course, were no exception.

 

We had two days off for All Saints at the beginning of November, and one of my best friends had timed her visit here to coincide with my little “break”. I won’t go into detail about everything we did, but what we had planned on being a leisurely visit somehow still ended up being filled with quite a bit of running around. Between Laduree, Disneyland, the Louvre, Moulin Rouge and lots and lots of partying, I think that we both decided it was WELL worth it though. It might seem a bit odd for us to have gone to Disneyland amidst all the other “grown up” activities that we had going on, but honestly spending Halloween at Disneyland was one of the most fun things we did! The park was open until late for the “Halloween Party”, which meant that some of the big rides were still accessible and with very very small lines – we even went on Space Mountain twice! We also spent the night at one of the Disney hotels and went back the next day for a full day of Disney magic. At the end of it, you would think I’d be sick of hearing “Do you believe in magic?”… but I realized something – I really DO believe in magic!!!

A Week (or two) of Firsts

Phew… I’m exhausted!!! This week has been absolutely insane – in actually quite an amazing kind of way. I guess the “amazing-ness” actually started last week and things just keep getting better and better and I know that next week is going to be even more wonderful! Hmm… the saying “too good to be true” kind of comes to mind…

 

“Oh Look – a winery!”

My Fairytale Castle

Let’s backtrack to last week – it all started with a very much needed break to Bordeaux for basically 1.5 days. My classmate, Alex, kindly organized a trip to Bordeaux for a few of my classmates & I. It was my first trip to Bordeaux so I was super excited and had no idea what to expect. Let me tell you – it definitely surpassed ANY expectations I had. First of all, I found a fairytale castle that I plan to move into. Second of all, even just the city was pretty and filled with character, not to mention the incredible beauty of the Médoc. And lastly, since Alex had arranged that our Oenology professor also join us on this trip, we were able to visit wineries and meet people that we normally would not be able to had we been there on our own. The châteaux that we visited were Château Brane-Cantenac, Château Pontet-Canet, Château Pichon Longueville Baron, Château Mouton Rothschild and Château Ducru-Beaucaillou. One of my classmates, Jackie, has written an excellent post (you can click on that link for her post) on this trip, covering all of our visits and details of everything we learned.

 

Studying on the train ride home…

Besides the actual time in Bordeaux, we also spent a good portion of our time on the train – we had to leave on Tuesday right after class, and return on Wednesday night. With a three-hour train ride each way, plus an hour bus ride together in Bordeaux to the Médoc, there was a good portion of time for us to spend studying to keep on top of our assignments and readings. No, I kid you not, some of us ACTUALLY studied on the train and on the trip. This was a definite first for me. Generally, I bring books with me on vacation with the intent of studying, but they usually end up gathering dust in the corner. This time, I was able to go through several chapters, write notes, read a case study and draft an analysis. It was quite exciting, I must admit. Unfortunately, in order to actually be productive, this meant I had to actually spit at the wine tastings.  (I know, woe is me.)

 

“Un croissant SVP… umm and also that pair of boots?”

After the rest of our week, I was completely ecstatic for the weekend. I was going to meet my cousin on Friday evening, go for prayers with her and then stay over at her place. Then, on Saturday, we were meeting my really good friend Ali, his fiancee Nafisa and their friend Mickael for a delicious lunch at a crêperie. At least that was the plan. Here’s what actually happened: I met Annar on Friday evening, we started heading toward khane for prayers… since we were early, and we were starving, it was only natural that we stop and look at the various boulangeries for a little snack. Then I saw a shoe store. What happened next was completely out of my control… and the fact that I now have a shiny new pair of gorgeous black leather boots is NOT my fault. Ahem, ahem.. I’m telling you.. NOT my fault!

 

That was Friday. Then came Saturday… so lunch happened as planned, but then Mickael decided to take us to Place de la Madeleine for a stroll around. To be clear, at this point I was already full from the delicious crêpe I had at lunch. But… Nafisa loves Fauchon, so we ended up going in for a little “dessert” apparently (although after our savoury crêpes, we had also had dessert crêpes, but anyway). This was the day I tried Fauchon macarons for the first time. They were very pretty… and displayed so prominently – they even had a nice macaron tower for show as well. Sadly… they were no Laduree. As a result, after tasting the Fauchon macarons, I had no choice but to drag Ali, Nafisa and Mickael over to the nearby Laduree (and force them to stand in the long line) for a taste of the real thing. I made Ali have a bite of the Fauchon and then a bite of the Laduree so he could compare them. He agreed, Laduree was better (although it’s also possible that he could have read my blog and been scared into saying that… but whatever, I’m always right  ). So, that was the weekend.

 

Things I Miss…

I’m missing my friends & family a lot this weekend (primarily because I just got an invite to one of my really good friends’ engagement parties which I won’t be able to attend, and because I have to miss a cousins gathering for my dad’s side of the family back home, and both of those things make me sad), so this is going to be a bit of an “unconventional” post for me. Instead of recapping my day/week/etc., or talking about some interesting or exciting Parisian thing I did (side note – today I went to the Musee D’Orsay for the Impressionism & Fashion exhibit and it was SO nice; and also I had actual Korean food for the first time thanks to my wonderful classmate), I feel the need to make a list about things that I miss from back home, in no particular order whatsoever. So, here we go:

Ladurée vs. Pierre Hermé vs… McCafé?!?

Note – I wrote this like a week ago but our internet was acting stupid so I’m just posting it now, sorrrrry…. I’ll write a more updated one tomorrow about the last week

It’s been a macaron kind of week… with the numerous accounting assignments, luxury distribution assignments, guests visiting and random Paris moments, there have been an abundance of excuses for macaron-eating (I know, I know… since when did I need an excuse?!).

It all started on the 23rd of September… I was obliged to have brunch at Ladurée. I had no choice (even though I chose the brunch location, ahem) - my friends Jason & Mike were visiting from Toronto and we had to go for a fabulous Parisian Sunday brunch. Can you blame me? How can you introduce Paris to someone and not take them to Ladurée, that would just be wrong on so many levels. So, there we sat, sipping our tea, enjoying our viennoiseries and finally biting into those mini pieces of heaven known as macarons… I have to admit, watching someone eat their first Ladurée macaron is one of my favourite moments… it’s just so exciting! Anyway, after getting several confirmations from them that these were the most delicious pastries they’d ever eaten (Note to any future visitors: even if for some unthinkable reason you’re not into macarons, just tell me you love them otherwise I won’t leave you alone), and after showing off my shiny new keychain, and after being stuffed beyond belief, we packed up what was left and headed toward rue Rivoli. On our way, we stopped for a bit of obligatory window-shopping (sadly all the stores were closed as it was Sunday).

So here’s the thing about window-shopping in Paris… it’s not as much fun as in Toronto due to the fact that they put the prices in the store window. I know, I know, some of you might be thinking that it’s great since then you know whether something is in your budget or not – but my thing is that when I window-shop in a luxury area, I already KNOW that I most likely can’t afford whatever has been prominently featured in the window… the whole point of the window shopping experience, to me, is about imagining that I can (or, as my sister would say, “deluding” myself into believing I can). If I see the prices of a hot new pair of Gucci shoes when I first glance at them, I lose that moment of belief…it’s no fun!

The LV Dream…

From mystery shopping at Balenciaga to finding an actual nightclub in Cergy, the past few days have been incredible. It’s been one of those weeks that just kind of reaffirms the reasons that I’m here and why I chose the ESSEC MBA Luxe program. The highlight, without a doubt, was a very special visit to the Louis Vuitton family home & workshop.

 
I think everyone in our class felt extremely privileged to have been invited to visit this very private home & workshop, which is usually only open to certain VIP clients and members of the press. The maison is situated in the Parisian suburb of Asnières, where Louis Vuitton himself actually set up his workshop in 1859, just  a
few years after he first started production - and it remained as the only Louis Vuitton production facility in the world until 1977. Next door to the workshop, the Vuitton family had also built a winter home for the family – and which then became their permanent residence. It remained as the Vuitton home for several future generations.

Here, There, Everywhere…

It’s been a busy week and a half here… lots to do, and lots of running around. We finished two courses, started two new ones (including accounting, yuck), and have a bunch of assignments that we’ve had to start on (some more fun than others). At the same time, I’ve also been trying to make my home more “home”, figure out a way to avoid going to the grocery store everyday (seriously, I’m so sick of Auchan it’s not even funny) and, of course, enjoy Paris and all it has to offer.

Speaking of what Paris has to offer, I don’t think I told you guys about the Musée des Arts Décoratifs – and to be honest, I didn’t even know about this museum until I got here. Basically, it’s just next to the Louvre and is a separate museum that showcases handicrafts and special decorative arts; it also houses a section on fashion & textiles which is pretty interesting as well. However, besides this exciting lesson on Parisian museums, the reason I’m telling you all this is because in this museum was an amazing exhibit on Louis Vuitton & Marc Jacobs!   I had to, of course, make it a point to visit, so one of my classmates & I went last weekend. The exhibit was amazing, there were some of the first trunks that Louis Vuitton had ever worked on, the first bags and clothes that he had designed. It was really neat to see some of these first hand… and then just when you’re lost in the world of historical LV, you go up the stairs and are shocked by tons of video screens all over the place showing various films and tv clips. This, of course, is welcoming you to the world of Marc Jacobs. In this part of the exhibit, you see various designs from Marc Jacobs for LV, and hear his voice echoing in the background as bits of interviews are played to help you gain a better understanding into his mind. To see the parallel stories of both of these men and how their personalities have transformed an iconic brand (and perhaps how an iconic brand has transformed these men) was truly inspiring.

Culture, Wine & Crêpes

It might be the nerd in me, but I’m so excited that we’ve finally actually started our official courses. Even though the days have been long, the learning in just 3 days has already been tremendous.

And even though it was only our first day of class, we already had our first few group assignments & presentations on Monday – here’s a little peek at one of the things my group had to come up with & present. 

Yup, that’s right – it’s a song based on “Empire State of Mind” by Alicia Keys, all about our reasons for being at ESSEC. We had a lot of fun writing the song… and then choreographing a dance to go along with it while we actually sang the song in front of our class. For those of you who know of my aspirations to be a Disney singer, you probably aren’t surprised that I was SUPER excited to do this presentation… and for those of you who aren’t familiar with my childhood dreams, let me answer what’s probably your first question - No, I can NOT sing (and my sister, parents, cousins can all strongly attest to this). You’re now probably wondering where the Disney singer aspiration came from… I love singing, I love Disney movies and I wanted to be Princess Jasmine or Belle or Ariel or Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella, etc. etc…. I was the little girlie girl that falls into all of the gender stereotypes.

Annnnyway, enough of an aside about embarrassing stories regarding my life, back to ESSEC and our first few days of class.