How does one describe Camdentown in North London ? Underground, hipster, alternative, indie, grungy, goth emo punk (or as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs say gemunk) and where the music (and drug) scene is happening. It's here that legends have found their success, from the Sex Pistols to Oasis, Madonna's first UK appearance; or the legendary Barfly - the place that helped launch the careers of Coldplay and The Darkness, or where Amy Winehouse probably first started getting into trouble, or where Pete Doherty or Radiohead rocked out, where Lily Allen debuted or even The Cranberries. And it's here that the Camden Crawl takes place, a weekend-long music festival where you (practically) crawl from one pub to another to listen to alternative bands. Bands such as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Maccabees appeared at the Roundhouse, where smaller, lesser-known bands such as Tommy Sparks, the Joy Formidable , Sportsday Megaphone, Does It Offend You Yeah? rocked out in small, but very crowded venues. By day, the Crawl is a sprawling carnival-style arts festival featuring comedy, short film, pop quizzes, bingo, busking, acoustic performances, workshops, spoken word, karaoke, unsigned band competitions, exhibitions, gaming, an outdoor stage with special guests and more… By night, however, the mile-long stretch of pavement becomes an all out live music extravaganza playing host to 150 of the best new talents performing across the area’s infamous venues.
Wednesday 29 April 2009
Camden Crawl
How does one describe Camdentown in North London ? Underground, hipster, alternative, indie, grungy, goth emo punk (or as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs say gemunk) and where the music (and drug) scene is happening. It's here that legends have found their success, from the Sex Pistols to Oasis, Madonna's first UK appearance; or the legendary Barfly - the place that helped launch the careers of Coldplay and The Darkness, or where Amy Winehouse probably first started getting into trouble, or where Pete Doherty or Radiohead rocked out, where Lily Allen debuted or even The Cranberries. And it's here that the Camden Crawl takes place, a weekend-long music festival where you (practically) crawl from one pub to another to listen to alternative bands. Bands such as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Maccabees appeared at the Roundhouse, where smaller, lesser-known bands such as Tommy Sparks, the Joy Formidable , Sportsday Megaphone, Does It Offend You Yeah? rocked out in small, but very crowded venues. By day, the Crawl is a sprawling carnival-style arts festival featuring comedy, short film, pop quizzes, bingo, busking, acoustic performances, workshops, spoken word, karaoke, unsigned band competitions, exhibitions, gaming, an outdoor stage with special guests and more… By night, however, the mile-long stretch of pavement becomes an all out live music extravaganza playing host to 150 of the best new talents performing across the area’s infamous venues.
London Town
I arrive in London town on Friday night after taking the Eurostar which goes under the English Channel, right into the center of the city. It's funny to be a on a train that leaves from Paris, and to get off only 2 hours later and be in a completely different city. My dear friend Hannah, a good friend I met a year ago in India, meets me at the terminal with her friend Katie, a very warm and slightly drunken welcome. They've been at the Crawl all day, standing outside in the sunshine listening to bands rock out. We head back to Hannah's new flat at Queen's Park that she shares with her boyfriend Olly (from Kent), the most British person Ive ever met! In terms of sense of humor that is; I think I laughed at nearly everything he said all weekend. He's a bit of legend, Hannah tells me before, and I immediately see why. He's awesome! And the two of them make a perfect couple.
We sit around their flat, drink cold beers, or watching Summer Heights High (an Australian version of The Office, but set in a school...it's absolutely brilliant) and listen to freakin' good music Olly is an amateur DJ and between him and Hannah, they have a music rep that rivals that of a record company. The music scene in London is huge, and so much bigger than in Paris, esp when it comes to small rock or electronica bands.
The differences between the two cities is striking - here in London, there is a whole underground music scene of offstream, alternative, creative groups and its mostly centered in Camden. I havent sensed any of that in Paris; its more a scene of house or techno music, or influences coming from West Africans making their beats.
Another difference I've noticed, not surprisingly, is that Americans are much more like the British than the French. A little obviously I know, but true, and here's why. Hugs for example; the French wouldnt dream of hugging to greet one another unless of course someone died, but go 2 hrs on the train, and the English are all about hugs ! (as are Americans.) And breakfast: the French just dont eat it. It's small and usually consists of a croissant or a piece of toast. The English? Love a big breakfast! Eggs, bacon, toast, beans, the works! (As, I would like to compare, do Americans.) And tea and milk ! The French don't really do tea, and if they do, it's black almost always. Go two hours north, and the English make a mean cup of tea, always complete with a splash of milk or cream. At work one day in Paris, I put a splash of milk in my café/tea and everyone looked at me like I was crazy and remarked "That's a very English thing to do."
It's fun to see these apparent cultural differences, esp between 2 cities that are only 2 hours away by train (granted, Britain's an island), but that are so so different. We don't really have this concept in America - go 2 hours on a train and well, you'll probably still be in America, where things haven't changed much except for how much milk costs. But between London and Paris, the English and the French, they've evolved into completely different people and unfortunately detest each other for it. I was told all weekend how much the English hate the French (and almost all foreigners in England, there's quite a bit of racism there.)
Saturday morning, after everyone crashed on the floor, Olly cooks us all breakfast, complete with beans, bacon, fried eggs, all put on white bread with ketchup. We sat around in PJs and watched The Goonies, the pinnacle of the 80s as well as Josh Brolin's career. The movie was incredibly corny yet amazing. Katie's boyfriend Tom has a great sense of humor; by the end of the film, the comments made by Tom or Olly had me rolling on the floor.
After a lazy Saturday morning, we rollll out (all 6 of us) and head into Camden Town for lunch before going to see some bands. I basically had no idea what was going on all day but just went with the flow. I adore the British accent and vocabulary and could listen to it all day, esp words like mental! brilliant ! We get some greasy food at the Camden Market and sit by the river with a bunch of tattooed and blue-haired goths. There's some really good people watching around here. And there we stay all day, talking and drinking cider beer until 5 in the afternoon before the bands come on. The river is nice and relaxing, whereas up on the street is an absolute madhouse with the Crawl plus Market Day for the world-famous Camden Market, London's most popular open-air market area with stalls, shops, pubs and restaurants.
We hit up The Camden house for more drinks before going into The Black Cap, our venue for the night to hear The XX, Sportsday Megaphone, Golden Silvers and Tommy Sparks. We just danced our way through the night, esp the last band that was on (Tommy Sparks) was out of this world and so much fun. The crowd was fun and everyone was in a good mood. After hours spent there, we head to the Marathon Kebab Shop where they have a backroom where people come to play guitar or saxophone. It's there where Pete Doherty used to come and play unannounced, in the back of a kebab shop - brilliant. This is the side of London that I love.
We sit around their flat, drink cold beers, or watching Summer Heights High (an Australian version of The Office, but set in a school...it's absolutely brilliant) and listen to freakin' good music Olly is an amateur DJ and between him and Hannah, they have a music rep that rivals that of a record company. The music scene in London is huge, and so much bigger than in Paris, esp when it comes to small rock or electronica bands.
The differences between the two cities is striking - here in London, there is a whole underground music scene of offstream, alternative, creative groups and its mostly centered in Camden. I havent sensed any of that in Paris; its more a scene of house or techno music, or influences coming from West Africans making their beats.
Another difference I've noticed, not surprisingly, is that Americans are much more like the British than the French. A little obviously I know, but true, and here's why. Hugs for example; the French wouldnt dream of hugging to greet one another unless of course someone died, but go 2 hrs on the train, and the English are all about hugs ! (as are Americans.) And breakfast: the French just dont eat it. It's small and usually consists of a croissant or a piece of toast. The English? Love a big breakfast! Eggs, bacon, toast, beans, the works! (As, I would like to compare, do Americans.) And tea and milk ! The French don't really do tea, and if they do, it's black almost always. Go two hours north, and the English make a mean cup of tea, always complete with a splash of milk or cream. At work one day in Paris, I put a splash of milk in my café/tea and everyone looked at me like I was crazy and remarked "That's a very English thing to do."
It's fun to see these apparent cultural differences, esp between 2 cities that are only 2 hours away by train (granted, Britain's an island), but that are so so different. We don't really have this concept in America - go 2 hours on a train and well, you'll probably still be in America, where things haven't changed much except for how much milk costs. But between London and Paris, the English and the French, they've evolved into completely different people and unfortunately detest each other for it. I was told all weekend how much the English hate the French (and almost all foreigners in England, there's quite a bit of racism there.)
Saturday morning, after everyone crashed on the floor, Olly cooks us all breakfast, complete with beans, bacon, fried eggs, all put on white bread with ketchup. We sat around in PJs and watched The Goonies, the pinnacle of the 80s as well as Josh Brolin's career. The movie was incredibly corny yet amazing. Katie's boyfriend Tom has a great sense of humor; by the end of the film, the comments made by Tom or Olly had me rolling on the floor.
After a lazy Saturday morning, we rollll out (all 6 of us) and head into Camden Town for lunch before going to see some bands. I basically had no idea what was going on all day but just went with the flow. I adore the British accent and vocabulary and could listen to it all day, esp words like mental! brilliant ! We get some greasy food at the Camden Market and sit by the river with a bunch of tattooed and blue-haired goths. There's some really good people watching around here. And there we stay all day, talking and drinking cider beer until 5 in the afternoon before the bands come on. The river is nice and relaxing, whereas up on the street is an absolute madhouse with the Crawl plus Market Day for the world-famous Camden Market, London's most popular open-air market area with stalls, shops, pubs and restaurants.
We hit up The Camden house for more drinks before going into The Black Cap, our venue for the night to hear The XX, Sportsday Megaphone, Golden Silvers and Tommy Sparks. We just danced our way through the night, esp the last band that was on (Tommy Sparks) was out of this world and so much fun. The crowd was fun and everyone was in a good mood. After hours spent there, we head to the Marathon Kebab Shop where they have a backroom where people come to play guitar or saxophone. It's there where Pete Doherty used to come and play unannounced, in the back of a kebab shop - brilliant. This is the side of London that I love.
Sunday 12 April 2009
Boycotting the Metro
I fell in love with Paris tonight, finally.
All of a sudden, it just...clicked. And I realized how much I truly love this city.
I had just met up with my friend Jens for an "Adieu Ice Cream" because he's leaving town and packin' up back to Germany. Dommage. We got the city's best ice cream at Bertholy's - for a rich creamy and out-of-this-world chocolate ice cream. As we sat on le quai down by La Seine, les bateaux mouches passed by, filled with tourists. All the famous monuments were lit up so nicely and somewhere on a nearby bridge, a lonely man was playing Amélie tunes on his accordion. The air was warm and a pleasant breeze carried the smells of the local food markets in a nearby neighborhood. I assumed that Paris would be dead on Easter Sunday and that few people would be out - just the opposite ! There were all kinds of people out and about, enjoying the city that I've come to love so much. But it wasn't in stressful flurry of crowds - there was a certain placidity in the languorous, relaxed way that people were walking and talking and promenading.
After saying goodbye to my friend Jens, I decided to avoid the metro and walk along the Seine to enjoy the warm breeze and the view. It was incredible and something I haven't taken advantage of enough. Down by the water, one level below all the cars is a lovely boardwalk that follows the Seine and is lined by old fishing boats tied up. At the very tip of the tiny island on which Notre Dame cathedral is located, were people picnicking along the water's edge - usually with a 12-pack of beer or a bottle of red wine. Friends gathered to spend Easter Sunday afternoon sitting outside on a picnic blanket, telling old stories and having a good laugh. I walked all along the Seine, whistling with my hands in my pockets, stopping at each bridge to observe the people there enjoying themselves with good friends.
Another decision I've come to:
I'm boycotting the metro. Actually, that's how my love affair with Paris began this one evening. I discovered that there's an entire world, believe it or not, above the METRO that connects the whole city and which I've come to depend on. I literally take the métro everywhere and never get to see any of the above-ground scenery.
That has all changed this weekend.
On my way home, I rented out a Vélib bicycle and rode allll the way home. Everywhere I turned was a new monument - look left! Assemblée Nationale! Right!Le Sénat! Place de la Concorde ! La Tour Eiffel! Notre Dame!
Marion and I, during our 4-day weekend, have walked everywhere and it's been pure loveliness in terms of seeing new parts of the city. We discovered that Montparnasse is actually a lot closer than we thought. We walked to Invalides to have a look at Napoleon's tomb, and then enjoying the park at Le Musée Rodin. Today we walked to Cluny La Sorbonne and meandered around the small streets of the Latin Quarter. There were a bunch of intellectuels mosying around weird and small bookshops; others lined up at the door for cinema tickets on a lazy Sunday. Such a French thing to do. We tried to see an old movie with Audrey Hepburn in an ancient salon that only shows black & whites. The little streets that surround Notre Dame are among my favorite little cobblestone roads. Instead we see a black & white 1941 Greta Garbo film "Two-Faced Woman" or La Femmes aux Deux Visages in French. It was so much fun !
We also check out the only mosque in Paris, La Grande Mosquée de Paris, where they serve mint tea and Moroccan sweets under the canopy of orange trees in the courtyard. Beautifully-tiled walls line the courtyard and the big rooms that open up behind where dinner is served.
We walk through Les Jardins des Plants, where big magnolia trees are just starting to bloom, and colorful flowers are planted all over. The Natural History Museum is there (you can see the dinosaur bones from outside!) and a little zoo. How lovely!
On Friday, we walked all the way to Le Grand Palais and saw the Andy Warhol exhibit on display. His famous Marilyn Monroe, Jackie O and Elizabeth Taylor pieces were on display, as was his colossal portrait of Mao. Wow!
All of a sudden, it just...clicked. And I realized how much I truly love this city.
I had just met up with my friend Jens for an "Adieu Ice Cream" because he's leaving town and packin' up back to Germany. Dommage. We got the city's best ice cream at Bertholy's - for a rich creamy and out-of-this-world chocolate ice cream. As we sat on le quai down by La Seine, les bateaux mouches passed by, filled with tourists. All the famous monuments were lit up so nicely and somewhere on a nearby bridge, a lonely man was playing Amélie tunes on his accordion. The air was warm and a pleasant breeze carried the smells of the local food markets in a nearby neighborhood. I assumed that Paris would be dead on Easter Sunday and that few people would be out - just the opposite ! There were all kinds of people out and about, enjoying the city that I've come to love so much. But it wasn't in stressful flurry of crowds - there was a certain placidity in the languorous, relaxed way that people were walking and talking and promenading.
After saying goodbye to my friend Jens, I decided to avoid the metro and walk along the Seine to enjoy the warm breeze and the view. It was incredible and something I haven't taken advantage of enough. Down by the water, one level below all the cars is a lovely boardwalk that follows the Seine and is lined by old fishing boats tied up. At the very tip of the tiny island on which Notre Dame cathedral is located, were people picnicking along the water's edge - usually with a 12-pack of beer or a bottle of red wine. Friends gathered to spend Easter Sunday afternoon sitting outside on a picnic blanket, telling old stories and having a good laugh. I walked all along the Seine, whistling with my hands in my pockets, stopping at each bridge to observe the people there enjoying themselves with good friends.
Another decision I've come to:
I'm boycotting the metro. Actually, that's how my love affair with Paris began this one evening. I discovered that there's an entire world, believe it or not, above the METRO that connects the whole city and which I've come to depend on. I literally take the métro everywhere and never get to see any of the above-ground scenery.
That has all changed this weekend.
On my way home, I rented out a Vélib bicycle and rode allll the way home. Everywhere I turned was a new monument - look left! Assemblée Nationale! Right!Le Sénat! Place de la Concorde ! La Tour Eiffel! Notre Dame!
Marion and I, during our 4-day weekend, have walked everywhere and it's been pure loveliness in terms of seeing new parts of the city. We discovered that Montparnasse is actually a lot closer than we thought. We walked to Invalides to have a look at Napoleon's tomb, and then enjoying the park at Le Musée Rodin. Today we walked to Cluny La Sorbonne and meandered around the small streets of the Latin Quarter. There were a bunch of intellectuels mosying around weird and small bookshops; others lined up at the door for cinema tickets on a lazy Sunday. Such a French thing to do. We tried to see an old movie with Audrey Hepburn in an ancient salon that only shows black & whites. The little streets that surround Notre Dame are among my favorite little cobblestone roads. Instead we see a black & white 1941 Greta Garbo film "Two-Faced Woman" or La Femmes aux Deux Visages in French. It was so much fun !
We also check out the only mosque in Paris, La Grande Mosquée de Paris, where they serve mint tea and Moroccan sweets under the canopy of orange trees in the courtyard. Beautifully-tiled walls line the courtyard and the big rooms that open up behind where dinner is served.
We walk through Les Jardins des Plants, where big magnolia trees are just starting to bloom, and colorful flowers are planted all over. The Natural History Museum is there (you can see the dinosaur bones from outside!) and a little zoo. How lovely!
On Friday, we walked all the way to Le Grand Palais and saw the Andy Warhol exhibit on display. His famous Marilyn Monroe, Jackie O and Elizabeth Taylor pieces were on display, as was his colossal portrait of Mao. Wow!
Thursday 9 April 2009
Florence
I took a petit séjour, as the French say, this weekend in Florence, one of my favorite Italian cities. I love it's charm, it's people, and of course, it's gelato !
But the trip to get there was a bit of a fiasco. I arrived at the airport with my ticket already printed out and ready to go. Nice and easy getting from my work in the lower 14th to Orly airport. Well, I had some time to kill before I had to go through security, so I bum around the airport. Sitting down at a café I realize that my boarding pass says "Pisa to Paris Orly"...Wait a minute, that doesn't sound right...Merde! I've printed out the wrong boarding pass! C'est pas vrai! I go tearing through the airport with my purse and suitcase in hand and skid my way across the hall to the Check-in for EasyJet. Check-in closed, but the lady must have taken pity on my blotchy and desperate face so she takes a look and prints me out the right boarding pass. I then have about 2.67 minutes to get through security before my gate closes - so once again I go teetering and skidding across the airport in my high heels, with a suitcase in tow. I run into 2 or 3 people, shouting "Désolée!!!!" over my shoulder. I shamelessly cut the entire security line and push someone's stuff off the belt to get mine through. Whew. Ok Im in and unless I trip and die between this point and the gate, I won't miss my flight. But of course they want to do a random check. Someone searches (thoroughly, I might add) through my suitcase, and as I pick it up to leave and run to catch my flight, I quickly realize that it hadn't been zipped shut and allllllllllll my stuff goes, literally, flying across the floor. I'm talkin' underwear, tampons, socks, shirts, my Converses are flung across half the airport. And of course the entire security line witnesses it. So like a homeless old lady, I pick up my stuff in piles and dump it into my suitcase, sans folding or anything. But I make the flight so, whatever.
Florence is lovely - Kelly and I meet up on Friday night ( I had to wander around for an hour or so looking for an internet café cuz, like a dum dum, I forgot to write down her number) for drinks at an American bar right near the Duomo. I can't stop thinking about Lillian!!! Her name is everywhere in this city and it makes me miss her like c-r-a-z-y. This is her city and it made me so sad and nostalgic that she wasn't there. It's almost like she belongs there more than Boston. But it's good to know that Florence isn't going anywhere and she always has the option of moving back.
We make some fun basketball-playing American guy friends, go dancing until 4 am and then sit in a circle in Piazza Signoria singing "Akuna Matata" and other classic Disney tunes until well past 7 am. As soon as we sat down in the giant, but empty square, I remember thinking to myself "This is gonna be a good night."
On Saturday, after sleeping most of the day, Matteo and I meet up in Piazza Signoria and he treats to an extra-large gelato (my breakfast and lunch for the day) We have a little walk around the city centre, enjoying the little streets and certainly catching up on the months since we've seen each other. We even pop into Il Mondo di Heidi to see Heidi is soooooooo pregnant! She's huge! And due in a few weeks with a little girl :) I gave her a hug and kiss for Lillian
Matteo and I have a little aperitivo and red wine across from Oibò, and laugh about old stories from last summer. I can't wait for when he visits us for a month this summer!!!
On Sunday, we take a
But the trip to get there was a bit of a fiasco. I arrived at the airport with my ticket already printed out and ready to go. Nice and easy getting from my work in the lower 14th to Orly airport. Well, I had some time to kill before I had to go through security, so I bum around the airport. Sitting down at a café I realize that my boarding pass says "Pisa to Paris Orly"...Wait a minute, that doesn't sound right...Merde! I've printed out the wrong boarding pass! C'est pas vrai! I go tearing through the airport with my purse and suitcase in hand and skid my way across the hall to the Check-in for EasyJet. Check-in closed, but the lady must have taken pity on my blotchy and desperate face so she takes a look and prints me out the right boarding pass. I then have about 2.67 minutes to get through security before my gate closes - so once again I go teetering and skidding across the airport in my high heels, with a suitcase in tow. I run into 2 or 3 people, shouting "Désolée!!!!" over my shoulder. I shamelessly cut the entire security line and push someone's stuff off the belt to get mine through. Whew. Ok Im in and unless I trip and die between this point and the gate, I won't miss my flight. But of course they want to do a random check. Someone searches (thoroughly, I might add) through my suitcase, and as I pick it up to leave and run to catch my flight, I quickly realize that it hadn't been zipped shut and allllllllllll my stuff goes, literally, flying across the floor. I'm talkin' underwear, tampons, socks, shirts, my Converses are flung across half the airport. And of course the entire security line witnesses it. So like a homeless old lady, I pick up my stuff in piles and dump it into my suitcase, sans folding or anything. But I make the flight so, whatever.
Florence is lovely - Kelly and I meet up on Friday night ( I had to wander around for an hour or so looking for an internet café cuz, like a dum dum, I forgot to write down her number) for drinks at an American bar right near the Duomo. I can't stop thinking about Lillian!!! Her name is everywhere in this city and it makes me miss her like c-r-a-z-y. This is her city and it made me so sad and nostalgic that she wasn't there. It's almost like she belongs there more than Boston. But it's good to know that Florence isn't going anywhere and she always has the option of moving back.
We make some fun basketball-playing American guy friends, go dancing until 4 am and then sit in a circle in Piazza Signoria singing "Akuna Matata" and other classic Disney tunes until well past 7 am. As soon as we sat down in the giant, but empty square, I remember thinking to myself "This is gonna be a good night."
On Saturday, after sleeping most of the day, Matteo and I meet up in Piazza Signoria and he treats to an extra-large gelato (my breakfast and lunch for the day) We have a little walk around the city centre, enjoying the little streets and certainly catching up on the months since we've seen each other. We even pop into Il Mondo di Heidi to see Heidi is soooooooo pregnant! She's huge! And due in a few weeks with a little girl :) I gave her a hug and kiss for Lillian
Matteo and I have a little aperitivo and red wine across from Oibò, and laugh about old stories from last summer. I can't wait for when he visits us for a month this summer!!!
On Sunday, we take a
Wednesday 1 April 2009
Ventes aux Enchères chez Sotheby's
La Chaîne benefitted on Monday night from a fabulous 4-hr long auction held at Sotheby's, directly across from chez Sarkozy at Elysée Palace. I went there right after work in one of the most expensive zip codes of Paris and shuffled my way in to the packed showroom at Sotheby's, where the items have been on display all week. I was privileged enough to see Claude Lelouche
(the French Steven Spielberg), Michou, Laurent Baffie, Pascal Selem et Mireille Darc
Ok, so they were all a bunch of French celebrities and I didn't know a single face, but everyone else was going gaga over the celebs there (called "people" in French, but pronounced "pipol") Loads of items were donated by stars, such as paintings, clothing, a roadbike, Edith Piaf's Chanel shoes, and then sold to benefit our charity and two others. Très chic!
Métro Boulot Dodo
I'm quickly finding out what it's like to be in the real world and no longer a student (for the time being), and it fits in perfectly with the French expression Métro Boulot Dodo which is Metro-Work-Sleep. That's it. That's your life. Oh, you know there's the weekend, or the occasional vacation getaway but that flies by and you're back to Monday, and it restarts just until Friday. That becomes the cycle in our lives, everyday blends into one and there's not much to do once you get home after work, except to eat dinner and go to sleep. And then wake and restart. I've added my own word to the sequence for the typical American schedule: Mérto-Boulot-McDo-Dodo. It's cute how the French call McDonald's McDo (like dough) while we name it Mickey-Ds.
Something adorable happens yesterday at work- I brought in little Hershey's Kisses that I received for Valentine's Day and sent them out on the table for everyone to try. Well they all looked at the little Kisses and looked at me and said, "What is it? Is it cheese? C'est du fromage?" But of course, they would think a tiny little kiss is a piece of cheese and not chocolate!
My internship so far is going super-well. It's fantastic and I love it, which makes it much easier to wake up every morning at 7h30. I can't imagine working at a job where you dread going to a job you hate, especially because it's not just one day out of the week but every day for the rest of your life. I actually look forward to work every day, for a new project and more lives of children to save. It's so inspiring to be here, seeing that people actually can make a difference and save a life that otherwise would be forgotten in the misery of the world. Take Afghanistan for example; La Chaîne has just build a brand new hospital in Kabul- literally the only functioning healthcare center in the entire country. Not surprising considering the country has been an open battlefield and ripped to shreds for the last 25 years. I really like this article by the way, by my hero Sarah Chayes (an American woman living in Kandahar, Afghanistan for the last 8 years)
Even (not) more shocking is that the sanitation conditions there are abominable and hard to look at - trust me, I just saw a photograph the other day of the Children's Hospital a few years ago that had the dirtiest operation table I've ever seen. And some disturbing pictures to go with it. Miraculously, La Chaîne has raised millions of dollars through promotions and private donations to build a state-of-the-art Children's Hospital where we send missions of a team of doctors , from cities such as Paris, Caen, Toulouse, Nantes, Lyon and Rennes to Kabul for a few weeks to operate and save as many children as possible, for surgeries such as open-heart and plastic surgery. It's remarkable the things people around here do and I'm very proud to be a part of it.
Something adorable happens yesterday at work- I brought in little Hershey's Kisses that I received for Valentine's Day and sent them out on the table for everyone to try. Well they all looked at the little Kisses and looked at me and said, "What is it? Is it cheese? C'est du fromage?" But of course, they would think a tiny little kiss is a piece of cheese and not chocolate!
My internship so far is going super-well. It's fantastic and I love it, which makes it much easier to wake up every morning at 7h30. I can't imagine working at a job where you dread going to a job you hate, especially because it's not just one day out of the week but every day for the rest of your life. I actually look forward to work every day, for a new project and more lives of children to save. It's so inspiring to be here, seeing that people actually can make a difference and save a life that otherwise would be forgotten in the misery of the world. Take Afghanistan for example; La Chaîne has just build a brand new hospital in Kabul- literally the only functioning healthcare center in the entire country. Not surprising considering the country has been an open battlefield and ripped to shreds for the last 25 years. I really like this article by the way, by my hero Sarah Chayes (an American woman living in Kandahar, Afghanistan for the last 8 years)
Even (not) more shocking is that the sanitation conditions there are abominable and hard to look at - trust me, I just saw a photograph the other day of the Children's Hospital a few years ago that had the dirtiest operation table I've ever seen. And some disturbing pictures to go with it. Miraculously, La Chaîne has raised millions of dollars through promotions and private donations to build a state-of-the-art Children's Hospital where we send missions of a team of doctors , from cities such as Paris, Caen, Toulouse, Nantes, Lyon and Rennes to Kabul for a few weeks to operate and save as many children as possible, for surgeries such as open-heart and plastic surgery. It's remarkable the things people around here do and I'm very proud to be a part of it.
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