French Loving and Paris Kisses
June 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment
FRENCH LOVING AND PARIS KISSES
A Travelogue
by
Elaine Emily Abonal
My first exposure to France or anything French was meeting a boy named Julien when I was at the country club, hanging out by myself and getting sunburned like I always did. I was still a teenager and I texted my mom saying that I met a cute French boy. Apparently, when I stopped texting her back and lost track of time, she thought that I meant old French “man” and thought I was kidnapped and was sold somewhere. Seriously – she called the police, the PNCC (our local traffic patrol), the hospitals nearby, and as soon as I got back to looking at my mobile phone, I must have had 30 new messages and 20 missed calls. There was already a search for me going on.
Haha.
It was unforgettable and hilarious but I didn’t realize that starting then, the French culture would penetrate my life, whether I wanted it to or not. I’ve always been interested in other cultures ever since I became an exchange student, but I was always more of inclined towards the Spanish side of things. But in college and through surfing, I started making friends from France each year – some of them acquaintances, some I will never forget, and most I will forever be friends with. I took lessons in Alliance Française when I was getting sick of guessing what they were talking about when we would hang out. I realized that although how I said, Je m’apelle Elaine, sounded “cute” to them, it didn’t really get me far during a conversation. So I kept on learning the language, watched their movies, and had a slight idea of what it was like in France from the people I knew. Then one day, IFS (the Institute for Foreign Study), the exchange student company I’ve always been with, asked me to be one of the chaperones for the summer high school groups to France.
That was a dream come true. C’était une rêve qui se réalise. I was excited, scared, nervous and chillax at the same time and I felt like I already knew so much about the country even before going there, and yet, I also had no idea what to expect.
And the unexpected happened. As soon as we landed on the Charles de Gaulle airport, I had the strange feeling of knowing I was in a foreign land and being at home at the same time. It must have been because I’ve already been to Europe before, or I hung out a way fricken lot with my foreign friends, or that I’ve been studying French for a couple of years. But I was hearing French, breathing their air, taking in all the sights, and texting my friends that – Ohlalaaaa… I was finally there.
I lived in a small town south of Paris called Bondoufle with a couple I will never forget. They were pretty crazy but I love them all the same. Babeth was blonde, skinny and smoked like a chimney, but cooked the BEST food I’ve ever eaten in my life. If I have any appreciation for French cuisine or just good food in general, it would be because of her. Everyday for one month, she cooked something different – from épinards a la crème (creamed spinach) to barbecue et bernaise. We had appetizer, salad, the main meal, wine or rosé (I think they were trying to get me drunk everyday), strawberries and cream for dessert, chocolate, and cheese – LOTS of it. Each time! I’m not exaggerating. I must have said “Je vais grossir ici (I’m going to get fat here)” more times than I can remember. We would sit around for hours at a time during dinner, just talking and watching TV, and enjoying the good food and company. My host dad Roland, who always called me “ma grande” or “la belle” was 62 years old but was the youngest 60 year old I’ve ever met. He was a retired rockstar, with a studio downstairs and all the vintage guitars I don’t even know about. He sang to me while strumming on his old school Gibson and at that moment I thought, this is the coolest Frenchman in the world. They quickly made me feel like their own daughter and even at 23 years old, they kissed me four times a day: in the morning, before I left the house, when I got back, and before going to bed. And I must say, they give kisses on the cheek FOUR times each time.
The high school group I was chaperoning had French classes in the morning in Bondoufle, but in the afternoons, we had tours in the city of Paris. With them, I saw the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, climbed the Eiffel Tower, posed with the wax figures in Musée Grévin, walked until our feet hurt at the Chateau de Versailles, rode the crazy rides in Parc Asterix, pretended to be giants at France Miniature, ate in the McDonalds of Champs-Elysées, walked through the Arc de Triomphe, stared at the gargoyle sculptures outside the Notre Dame, climbed up the seemingly never-ending stairs of the Sacre Coeur, took a cruise along the Seine River, saw where the movie Amelie was filmed, visited tombstones as the Cemitiere du Père La chaise, shopped at H&M, and ate crepes and drank French coffee (phew!) Although I was a couple years older and that there is such a thing as an age gap, I did feel that I was hanging out with friends. I mean, I was talking about life and love and relationships with a 15 year old! I enoyed every second with them, even if it meant having to be the party pooper sometimes. There are things that I learned from them that I will always remember.
Paris, the capital of France and one of the most visited cities in the world, is known as the city of lights and romance, where Victor Hugo wrote his masterpiece, and the best place to find museums with the most famous artworks in history. But we already know that. Sure, everyone knows where Paris is, and I will always be impressed by all the architecture and the history one can find in that city. However, it’s the culture and the people I really truly fell in love with and got attached to, and that’s the reason why I totally agree with Ernest Hemingway when he said that, “If you have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go you will always carry it with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.”
Paris was full of life and I felt that anything could happen. A big drunk guy was spouting sonnets while my friends and I were eating our baguettes by the Fontaine St. Michel. Street performances or surprise acts inside the metro, even if the Parisians were too busy to care, captivated me. Those nameless artists put so much effort on what they would perform. People rushed in and out of the metro – some going through sorties (exits) without even blinking, while others clumsily fumbled through their pocket maps. I’ve also never been to a city so diverse before, and although I know France has all these immigration issues to deal with, I found it interesting to be eating Arabic food or listening to African musique in Western Europe. It made me feel like I wasn’t so out of place. A lot of times though, strangers asked me where I was from, and nobody ever got it right. They wondered if I was Hawaiienne or Tahitienne, and I always had to explain that, “Je suis Philippine (I am Filipina).”
Back in the Philippines, I first thought that French people were so different, that I would not be able to relate to them. That some are too snobby, too cultured, too passionate about politics. But the more I hung out with my friends back home, the more I realized that we really were just the same. They like taking pictures as much as we do (when they’re the foreigner at least). They also like making chismis (gossip), they have their own humor, and sometimes even get the most baduy (corny) jokes I give. We laugh at each other and ourselves. We talk about nonsense and sometimes about life and growing up and getting older.
In France, living with a French family and being with my friends in their element, I did see that things were a little bit different. Un peu. (A little).They did like talking about politics (hey, I was there during the elections), would rather speak French than English, and would always have baguettes wherever they go – be it in the car, walking on the streets, or while riding a bike. They put the bread right on top of the table (nope, no plate), like their croissants, and would always say Bof! Or Ba, Oui! Or Bien sur. I’ve acquired the pout they always give when they don’t know what to answer or say, and even the acquired taste for the smell of cigarette smoke. I noticed too that a lot of French people say they don’t like the Americans that much, and yet almost all the TV channels I saw from my room had American movies or TV series that were dubbed in French. (Then again, so does every part of the world).
I felt most ALIVE when I was in Paris with my friends. It’s when I felt like I was a local – one of them – that I absolutely soaked up the beautiful language and the culture – the joie de vivre. I felt it, spoke it, breathed it, lived it, dreamt with it. For moments at a time, I felt like I was a different person and just lived the moment. I was so happy to feel young and beautiful, to be alive, to be speaking French, to be in Paris. I loved hanging out and walking dans les rues de Paris (in the streets of Paris) with them because we had pictures with the artistic graffiti instead of taking the usual picture by the Eiffel Tower or the Notre Dame. Or we went to Starbucks – which they called Le Starbuck- even if they were telling me, “Ohhh Hélène… Ce n’est pas du café!” (Oh Elaine, it’s not coffee!) With them, I got lost in the streets, got off the wrong stop at the metro, watched the other tourists, took in the sunshine or walked through the rain, discovered what Leffe beer tastes like, and even got a little bit bourré.
In that city, I realized that one of life’s and travel’s greatest pleasures is getting to meet up again with old friends, especially ones that you haven’t seen in a long time. You see friendship surpasses time zones, distance, and differences. I saw one of my best friends in the world, met up with someone whose heart I once broke, had coffee with one who broke mine, ate lunch with a friend who took the train from London just to spend the afternoon with me, made new friends, and maybe almost fell in love with someone. People went out of their way just to see me and just to catch up for a little bit. I had friends who made a little reunion party so we could remember the good times in the Philippines and so that I could also have a memorable night in France. Others found it funny and amusing that I loooved being cold just so that I could wear my cute little coat. Someone took me to the Eiffel tower at night because I really wanted to see it, and then again to see it sparkle. Moments and memories with people like those are the ones that I will never forget.
If there’s one thing I’ve also learned about traveling or having friends from the country you’re visiting, it is that stereotypes don’t mean anything. They said French people are snobs and won’t care if you’re lost, but people were nice to me, even when I was lost and clueless and asking for directions (and no, I was not only asking help from cute single men). On some occasions, I conversed with random people and saw that that if you smile at them, they actually smile back. My host family prepared something for mon anniversaire (my birthday) and it is one of the sweetest and memorable ones I’ve ever had. I was taken cared of so well and I was treated with so much hospitality and love that it makes looking back on my days in France miss everything so much more.
It all feels like a dream now, a good dream. I look at my pictures and I wonder if I really am the girl on the photos. I’m waiting for the day that I can go back and visit.
A special person once told me that on whatever trip we go on, no matter how long we stay in a place we grew to love, we always find the time we had there too short. It’s true. That’s why it’s important to enjoy it all – to smile and be thankful for every second. CHERISH every experience. Talk to the people. Take pictures. Observe. Look outside the window. Eat everything and anything – or don’t mind being hungry. Kiss. Fall in love. Hold hands. Laugh.
Because who knows? One day, all you might have is a three-page travelogue trying to explain what you’d experienced but knowing that you’ve seen more than the pictures you’ve taken, met more people than you’ve mentioned, and experienced more than you can remember. As for me, all I hope for what I just wrote is that it will forever remind me of what it was like, for the first time, to fall in love with, and maybe in, Paris.
Copyright Elaine Emily Abonal © elaineabonal@yahoo.com
August 2007
“ABROAD is a place where we stay up late, follow impulse, and find ourselves as wide open as were are in LOVE.” – Pico Iyer
By: Elaine Abonal
About the Author:
If you like this post, be sure to subscribe to my RSS feed!Kissing Tips – for Guys
June 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment
There comes a moment in our life when all of us have to deal with the first date, first kiss, first girlfriend. This is something unavoidable and someday will happen. But for guys, and not only, this can be very stressful and annoying because they don’t know how to handle the situation. If you have your first date with a girl that you really like, and you make a bad impression for the beginning, your date will definitely be screwed up.
So you have to make a good impression from the beginning if you want to have a second date with her. But, what happens if you don’t know how to kiss her and when is the right time to do it? There’s no problem. Using some kissing tips you will see that you will get her in your arms faster than you think, even if now you are a bad kisser.
Make this moment special; take her to the paradise with your kiss. Learn how to do this, if you want to have success. Here are some kissing tips that might help you.
The first kiss should always be done while the two are alone; privacy is very important, because it will help you to avoid embarrassing situation. The first kiss has a big intensity if you two are alone and nobody is staring at you or disturbs you. Be sure that you are ready to kiss the girl before you make the move, it is not only a mental thing, but also a physical thing as well; if you are nervous try thinking at other things to calm down. Relax and be confident, how to have success with your kiss if you are tensed.
Choose the best moment to kiss her and for that pay attention to her eyes. A woman’s eyes will always betray her emotions. When your eyes meet and neither of you seem to be able to look away, is the perfect moment to kiss her. Beware of moving too quickly, start with small, regular kiss and just after a while you can go further. Which is very important, don’t ask the permission to kiss her. You may cup her cheek with your hands gently, use either one hand or two hands depending on how confident you are; now her mind know what you plan to do.
For success in your kissing, make sure from the beginning that you have a good breath; it is very important to wash your teeth before going an o date, also you may use a gum or mint if you just ate something out there. Make sure that your lips are soft and your mouth is moist; so run your tongue over your lips once before you kiss, it will be a more pleasant experience. Close your eyes just before your lips meet and tilt your head slightly in the opposite direction of your partner. Also, don’t drool all over her mouth while kissing; women don’t like wet or sloppy kisses.
The secret of being a great kisser is to keep it simple and sexy. Use your hands to hold her face, show her that you are in control, and make this moment unforgettable, it can be a real pleasure. Avoid excess of saliva, it is true that some saliva sharing is unavoidable, but too much is a definite turn off. Also, be a tease; women love to be teased, so let her know who is in control by driving her crazy with your kiss. You must know when to slow down, so let her dying for more.
A kiss is much more than a simply touching lips, it is a expression of love, desire and passion. Move your whole body towards your partner and if she is responding press your chest towards her, then your waist and finally move your lips ; feel your partner’s rhythm and match it. Learn to use your tongue skillfully while kissing circling the tip of your partner’s tongue with your tongue gives both partners a real pleasure. Gently move the tongue in, exploring the inside of the lips.
Everyone likes to be kissed in a different way: some like soft slow kissing, others like more wild action, so you need to find out which is her favorite. You can start with regular, simple kiss and then go further to French kiss and so on. If this is the first time you kiss her and you are a little nervous, you should try the simple kiss with closed lips, which is also a hello or good-bye kiss, but for moment is ok. But the preferable is to try the regular kiss with the open lips – open your mouth slightly and place your lips over her lips; breath throw your nose; as your lips met, press them gently over your partners.
If you think that you can go further, try the French kiss, which involves touching your tongue with your partners. You can play with your tongue by circling her with your own, be inventive and have fun. Also suck kissing can be very seductive, but not all the women like it. Nip kissing has to be done carefully and only after you kiss the girl a few times before; while suck kissing bite her lip gently but watch out to not hurt her. No matter which kind of kiss you choose, show some passion; this indicates desire and comes from within; if you are relaxed and follow your heart, you will be lost in the kiss and you will make this moment special.
By: Ovi Dogar
About the Author:
By the way, a beautiful woman is waiting for you at www.eBridex.com
Russian Women Are Passionate Women
June 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Russian women are passionate. Once you have lived with a Russian woman, many other women pale in comparison.
Russians in general are very emotional in their private lives, contrasting with their stoic public face. A Russian woman is a very emotional creature. This is deceiving at first because they are usually reserved in their demeanor.
They are passionate in every way. They live life passionately. They are very feminine. They are also very strong willed. They are very intelligent. They have the emotional volatility of a racehorse.
You have never made love to as passionate a woman as a Russian woman. You will never doubt how much you please her sexually. She will remind you again and again. She may tear the flesh off your back.
She can get so angry she will throw things and break things. When she is incensed with you, she will call you names and hurl verbal insults at you to see how much you can take.
She is testing you to see how much you love her.
When you make up, she will beg your forgiveness and show you tenderness that you have never seen before. She will kiss you, cuddle you, and admonish herself for making you unhappy with her.
Russian women are passionate, but they are not easy. They will challenge you as a man in every way. They are not for the faint of heart. They are not for the weak of will or the frail of character.
They are the stone on which you sharpen your blade. The power and magnetism of their femininity will polarize and strengthen your masculinity. To handle such a woman, you will have to become a better man.
They will challenge you to become more of a man. You will either meet their challenge or fall away.
They will make you become a man among men, a force upon nature. A man to be reckoned with. It takes a powerful man to handle a powerful woman.
By: John Kunkle
About the Author:
John has been successfully married to a Belarussian wife for over five years. He has traveled extensively through Russia and other CIS countries. He will tell you why you should consider Russian women, how to meet them, how to bring your special woman home, and how to survive married life.
French Kissing – Women Love It Learn How to Do It Correctly!
June 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment
It’s a fact women particularly love to be kissed and 90% of women claim their partners don’t French kiss them enough or properly. It can be oe of the biggest turn ons for either partner so do it properly and drive your partner wild with passion.
For both men and women the lips are one of the most important erogenous zones and one that many couples neglect which they shouldn’t.
The French kiss is shows your passion is romantic and a great way to start to foreplay.
It is one of the best ways for you to express your feelings for your partner, your emotions and desire.
Here we will focus on the basics French kissing technique that are guaranteed to ignite the embers of passion in both you and your partner.
The French kiss is also a lot of fun so let’s look at French kissing technique
What actually is a French kiss?
Quite simply, French kisses are kisses ones where both partners use their tongues and kissing is probably the most romantic gesture a couple can do.
There is no right or wrong way to French kiss, keep in mind is that everybody kisses differently and different people prefer different ways of kissing.
Try kissing your partner a few times and find out what they like.
While there is no right or wrong way to French kiss, here are a few tips to help you create a memorable one between you and your partner.
Basics
A clean mouth and one with fresh breath and nice teeth will make your partner want to kiss you more. So always go to the dentist regularly and make sure you brush and use mouth wash. Now let’s look at the French kiss.
Relax
You lips should be relaxed, you body should also be relaxed and not stiff, otherwise it will be like kissing a dead fish for your partner you should be relaxed subtle and ready to do it with passion
Open Lips
Open your lips just like you do when regularly breathing through your mouth.
Position yourself
Do not have your face directly opposite your partner or your noses will hit.
You want to move your head to one side so your nose is out of the way of your partners when your lips meet.
Tongue
Open your mouth and put your tongue out around an inch or two.
Your tongue will then go into your partner’s mouth and vice versa.
Circle the tip of your tongue around the tip of theirs.
If they do something different then just do the same as they do, if you are enjoying the sensation you can respond naturally to your partners French kissing and instinctively know what your partner likes.
Basic French kissing techniques are:
1. Flicking
Of the tongue over your partners
2. Exploring
The inside of the mouth with the tongue.
3. Light touching
Of tongues while exploring the inside of the mouth.
The most important point to keep in mind!
Never leave your tongue still or doing nothing.
Make sure is constantly moving showing your passion, feelings and desire while exploring and finding out
what your partner really likes and respond to them.
Head movement
Again all people are different.
Some people will move their heads slightly in a circular motion or figure eight and some times people don’t move at all.
Head movement is simply down to personal preference.
The French kiss is a wonderful experience as Robert Browning said:
“The moment eternal – just that and no more – When ecstasy’s utmost we clutch at the core While cheeks burn, arms open, eyes shut, and lips meet!”
He’s right!
By: Sacha Tarkovsky
About the Author:
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On all aspects of how to get more from sex and relationships and everything to do with sexuality visit our website for a huge resource of articles, features and downloads and at http://www.net-planet.org/index.html
How to Kiss a Girl – Discover the Most Powerful Way to Turn Her On
June 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment
A kiss is the single most endearing act that mankind has been blessed with. A kiss can mean different things depending on the giver and the recipient and sometimes it is just like an instantaneous action between two people. Like all other things though, even kissing has a standard of measure by which it is judged. Now the question to which most men do not know the answer, how to kiss a girl. There are so many ways on how to kiss a girl and it is largely dependent on what message you want your kiss to send as well as the stage of your relationship.
When you are just starting to date, kissing is expected however, it is in this time when you have to be very cautious on how to kiss a girl. A peck on the cheek is always acceptable when saying hello and bidding goodbye. It is neither too casual nor too aggressive. Your tongue should be nowhere near her mouth.
As your relationship progresses, so does your kisses. A kiss on the mouth becomes your unspoken greeting to each other although your lips do not linger on each other’s. It is also still best to keep your tongue in check during the kiss.
More passionate kisses are expected as your relationship matures and French kissing is just around the quad. French kissing would entail the use of the tongue to maraud your partner’s mouth and explore its every corner. A few things to remember though:
Keep your spittle in check. It would ruin the mood if you start to drool into your girl’s mouth. That is certainly no way to kiss a girl.
Excessive moaning on your part is a major turn off. Keep your groans low. You do not want to be mistaken as a cat in heat.
Your hands are best cupping her face or caress her cheek
Do not open your mouth as wide as you can. French kissing should be romantic; it should not look like you are eating each other’s face.
A very important point on how to kiss a girl is that it should be sincere and genuine. It should sum up all the things that you cannot put in words. As they say, the kiss is invented because not all can be poets. Being a good kisser should convey your true feelings. There should be truth in your kiss because that is something that girls are looking for. In fact some of them judge the whole relationship based on how good your kissing bouts are.
Practice makes perfect. You may not be the best kisser but you can get better with time. The more kisses you share, the better it will become until one day you just realized you are so comfortable kissing each other. However, kissing should never lose its meaning to you. No matter how many times you kiss a girl, it should be as magical as the first time you ever laid your lips on hers.
By: Bernice Eker
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