I'm back!

Ok so I have basically been a blog hermit for the past month due to copious amounts of GRE studying. I finally took it (on Thanksgiving...oh the irony) and now have a life. So here is a sparknoted version of my life the past month:

• WE MOVED OUT OF THE HELL HOLE. Ariana and I are officially the proud renters of 64 Avenue d'Italie (aka the secret garden). Our little maisonette (little house) is hidden behind a tiny brown door near Place d'Italie in the 13th arrondissement, 10 minutes away from where we used to live in the 5th. It is absolutely charming. We have our own garden, courtyard, kitchen, living room, and two bedrooms. It's our own little cottage and we could not be happier. Check it:
• Garden

 Ariana's room

 My room

 Bathroom (the WC is upstairs)

 Kitchen/dining room

 Living room

• We went and saw the USA vs France football (soccer) match for 10 euros and were so close it was fantastic. 

• Stella, Ari and I met up with my new Au Pair friend from my french class, Laurel, for the Festival Photo, which took place in Saint-Germain-Des-Pres. Over 50 photo galeries hosted free viewings of their works; many too modern and bizarre, but others strikingly poignant. So we walked around the area with a group for a few hours, weaving in and out of petit galeries. My favorite was an exhibit from a photo-journalist in Iran and Iraq. The venue was also spectacular: 
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•  It is still fall in Paris and the city has yet to stun us with the FREEZING winter that we keep holding our breath for. I can still run in a long sleeve shirt and pants and not die. Talk about a pleasant surprise for late November