When in Paris Series Pt.5

Hey guys I hope that you are bringing in your new year well. The time I spent in Paris has been an adventure of a lifetime. This series is not over just yet I have a little bit more to tell you. I know I’ve been keeping you on your toes so hold onto your seats because this is the finale. Come along with me and walk the streets of Paris one last time.

After a while we all decided to get ready for the one last kiki ball before everyone had to go their separate ways. It was Freddie and Thundaaa’s last day with us in Paris. It seemed like that day went by so quickly. As we all finally finished getting ready it was time to make our way to the ball. This time we ended up getting their early again but the location where the ball was being held had a bar/ restaurant on the main level. In the end we all decided to sit down and grab a snack.

After about 30 minuets the festivities had finally begun, and man let me tell you it got crowded in that room. By the time we went back downstairs I ended up seeing Range, Ken Ken, Kitty, and Chiu. I was excited to see them again because I didn’t know when I would have another chance. They were as excited to see me as I was to see them, I couldn’t wait to see them walk their categories. As my conversation with them ended we all decided to make our way to our seat.

As the ball begun, they started with the shout-outs of course, and man it was a show. Every single part of the event had me in awe. There was so much talent throughout the room. After a while it got so crowded that you could no longer see while sitting down. I had to stand on a chair just to make sure I had a good view. Then from that angle I was not only able to see better, but my camera angles were perfect. Just like I knew they would Ken Ken, Kitty, Range, and Chiu killed their categories. As the afternoon went on, I started to get a little tired so me and Samil decided to go upstairs. Once we made that decision Freddie and Thundaaa decided to tag along.

We spent about another 20 minutes upstairs talking, taking pictures, just hanging out and enjoying each other’s company. Then came the time to decide what we were doing that night. We had heard that there was going to be a function at the club called BBB. Everyone had been talking about this club all weekend long and how it was going to be the after moving when the ball was over. So, as we all sat there and debated Freddie decided that he was going to spend his last night in Paris getting some sleep. Thundaaa and Samil decided to go back downstairs to the ball and Freddie and I decided to stay upstairs. There were two reasons for that, one there were chairs for us to be able to sit down, and two there were chairs for us to be able to sit down. Being able to get some quality time with my house father really meant a lot to me. I was able to not only get closer to him, but I feel as though we both got to know a different side of one another.

As some time started to go pass the ball had ended and you could see a flood of people coming out. There were some miscommunications but in the end we all ended up going back to the apartment together which was good because I honestly didn’t trust Freddie and Thundaaa to get back in one piece. As soon as we got back to the apartment Samil and Thundaaa went to get changed and ready for the club. If you’re wondering about me, I just decided to stick with the outfit I had on. Don’t worry my outfit was definitely on fire. As time drew near to leave for the club Samil called the uber, we said our goodbyes to Freddie as we tried one last time to convince him to come out with us.

As we got dropped off, we all stood around a little confused about where the entrance was. Little to our knowledge the driver didn’t drop us off in front of the club but down the street on the corner. When we made it to the club’s entrance we had to get in line, but the thing is that there were three lines. The entire time I was confused on where I would purchase the ticket to get inside of the club, there was no one around that made it clear. So, like the very smart people we are we ended up going all the way downstairs to the entrance to the club just to get told to go back upstairs and purchase a ticket. After all of that we still had to wait upstairs because the security told us that it was too crowded for us to go back downstairs.

By the time we made it back downstairs I was a little frustrated with the process but then again who wouldn’t be after all of the walking back and forth. Then on top of that to be wearing heels and walking up and down stairs. Yes, I was mentally ready to fight someone that night. As we waited in line we ran into Sky. That was pretty funny because I was the only person that actually met him in person, Thundaaa and Samil had only seen him through video calls. He was there celebrating one of his friend’s birthday and invited us to hang out in his section.

After maybe 30 minutes between trying to put our coats in the coat check then getting back to the other line to get in the club we finally made it in. As we were doing our rounds in the club I ran into Ken Ken and Chiu. As usual its always exciting when we see each other, I honestly had a hard time because I really wanted to hang out with them, but I wanted to be with Thundaaa and Samil too. The problem was that we were looking for Sky and we can’t just bring two extra people into someone else’s section. So, I hung out with them for a little while then, I had to go finish looking for Sky. That was the last day that I got to see them, before I left Paris.

As the night went on, we finally found Sky and his friend section. It was definitely a party in that section there were bottles everywhere and then a few minutes later there was another tube of bottles coming to the table. Me personally unless the person who bought the liquor says I can drink some then I won’t drink what isn’t mine. Once Sky told us that it was okay for us to have a drink, you want to know what I did. Had some drinks.

The night seemed like it was going on forever, there were performances, dancing, and drinking all around. It was definitely a night to remember. We got back to the apartment around 5 am in the morning, By the time we got back though Freddie was woke, we all sat around and talked for an hour then made our way to bed.

The next morning Freddie was up early getting his stuff ready. He was leaving to the airport at three in the afternoon. As Thundaaa finally woke up and started to get ready we all decided to go take one more picture at the park up the street from the apartment. As we made our way there it was all a bit nostalgic for me, because this would be my last time seeing Thundaaa and Freddie for a while. I was going to miss them so much. As we made our way to the park, we decided to get a little closer the basilica that was at the top of the hill.

As we made our way to the top, we got interrupted by this man who wanted to take a photo with Freddie because he had on the same black fur coat. The one thing was the man was Asian and shorter than Freddie. We all thought that it was pretty funny, but I thought that it was cool as well. Little to our knowledge we found out that the man we met is a Korean singer/ rapper. Learning about that part was really cool, in the end he ended up free styling while Freddie vogued. After everything was said and done, we all took a group photo together.

As we checked the time, we realized that it was almost time for Freddie and Thundaaa to leave to head to the airport. We rushed back down the street, but Thundaaa and Freddie wanted to go get food, so we had to make a detour to the Burger King that was one block away. By the time we got back to the apartment we were cutting close on time and Freddie started to get frustrated. We tried our best to get them out the house and too the airport. By the time they did it was almost 6 minutes after their original time to leave. When traveling timing is everything and you never know what will happen.

After me and Samil showed Freddie and Thundaaa off we decided that we were going to go back to the Eiffel Tower. This was a mission because we were going to try to take the train, little did we know what we got ourselves into. In the end we walked to the train station and there was only one train working. This was the train on the line that was connected to the airports in Paris. For that I was happy since I wanted to know if I could take the train to the airport. On the other hand, me and Samil were standing around packed like sardines in a can. Then once we got off the train to try to transfer lines, we realized that we could. There was no other way to go except for back in the direction we came. We had already made it this far so we both refused to go back home.

We walked out the station and went in the McDonald’s to get WIFI and come up with a plan. Uber was out of the question because of how high the prices had gone. So, we both decided that we would try the electric scooters. Once we downloaded the app and finally found some working scooters we were on our way. We road those scooters throughout the entire city of Paris, from the Notre Dame all the way to the Louvre, then back up to the fashion district where our apartment was.

It was the most exhilarating time of my life, to be able to see Paris sparkle throughout the night is not something I would soon forget. It may have been beautiful to see but it was definitely cold to touch, well the scooter that is. That night it seemed to be extremely cold, but by the time we got back to the apartment we stopped at the Vietnamese place that was right next to our apartment building. I ended up ordering some spicy shrimp pho and Samil got the shrimp mix vegetables and rice. The food was very good, then on top of that the spices from the broth cleared my sinuses right out.

After dinner we went back in the apartment and started to help Samil gather all of her things. I was really sad because my sister was leaving the next day, I was glad that her flight got canceled but it only moved a couple of hours. So, we both decided to wake up early and go see the Eiffel Tower as the sun rises. We woke up bright and early to leave out, but first we had to go find some scooter or else we would never make it down to the Eiffel Tower and back to the apartment by the time Samil had to leave.

As we made our way down to the Eiffel Tower you could clearly see how busy Paris was in the morning. We rode pass as the young children went off to school and as the roads were cleaned by the workers. It was a peaceful morning, and we ended up by the Eiffel Tower in no time, this time there were no clouds in the sky to block her beauty. I was amazed at her beauty; it took my breath away. I sat there and wondered how something could stand so tall for so long. We took our pictures and had a great time. We also ended up seeing a bridal photo shoot, it was definitely a good start to my last full day in Paris.

After we finished our site seeing we headed back to the apartment so that Samil could finish getting ready. In the end she ended up leaving somethings for me to take back to the states with me which was okay because I had the space for it. After a couple hours it was finally time for me to say goodbye to Samil. Saying goodbye to Samil was a little harder than the others because I feel as though I have the best connection to her, and I’m not going to lie I have fun when we’re together. After I showed her off, I went back in the apartment, but at that point it felt kind of lonely being their all alone. So ,I do what I do best when I’m alone I watched some anime on my phone.

After a couple hours I got up and went out to get something to eat for dinner. I didn’t feel like going far so I decided to go to the Japanese restaurant that was on the other side of our apartment building. For dinner I ate California rolls and tempura rolls, which were very good. It definitely goes to the top of my list of good sushi places. After eating I decided it was time, I got all of my stuff together and straightened up the rest of the apartment. By the time everything was cleaned and my outfit for the flight back home was set out I went right to sleep since I had to wake up early in the morning to catch the train to the airport.

I woke up the next morning and got ready. I didn’t eat any breakfast because there was nothing left in the apartment and I didn’t want to try to waste time trying to find somewhere to eat. I collected all of my belongings and left the apartment. I was sad to leave Paris because I don’t feel I got the chance to see everything but the memories that I did make will hold a permanent space in my heart until the time of my return. As I made my way to the train station with a big suitcase in one hand and a giant backpack on, I seemed to stand out and that wasn’t only because I had on my really tall platforms.

Once I got to the train stationed it seemed to already be really crowded; I didn’t remember which way to go so I had to stop and ask someone for directions. By the third time I had found someone who spoke a little bit of English because as I mentioned before my French isn’t all that great. I knew where to go and I already had a metro pass…well that’s what I thought at least. When I got to the gate to insert my metro card it didn’t work no matter how many times I tried. At some point me and the big suitcase got in the way of others. I asked the security guard if there was a way to get another one and I ended up getting on the train for free. That was a happy feeling for me.

I had finally found the track for the train that went to the airport, and man it was crowded on the platform. When I saw that the train was coming, I had to make sure I made my way to the front so that I would be able to get a seat because I did not feel like standing up the entire ride. Plus, who wouldn’t blame me the airport was the very last stop on the train line. As the train started to take off all I could do was think about my trip, and the people that I was able to meet. I was so glad I got the opportunity to connect with so many great minds. All I could think about was when the next time I was going to get to see them was.

As I rode the train, I saw many people come and go, and was able to see the many sides of Paris. The stop for the airport was the very last one so I got the chance to enjoy the secrecy, and do a little people watching. As we drew near to the stop for the airport, I gathered my belongings and got off the train. The entrance to the airport was just upstairs, well I had to get on a train to get to the main terminal.

When I arrived at the main terminal, I went to find my gate and when I did there was no one there. I was early for check-in, so I decided to just sit down and hang out, after an hour the gate opened. When it did the line started to get long immediately. I made my way to get in line with everyone else, when I got to the front to check my bags the woman at the desk upgraded my seat for me to be able to get more leg room. I thought that was so considerate of her because of how long the flights were. If you are wondering I flew Iceland Air.

After I finally made it through security, I went to get myself something to eat because I was starving by that point. After I got my food, I went to find my gate, and once I did, I did not like what I saw. My flight had been delayed, so I waited in the airport for about 2 hours. By the time I boarded my flight I was a little nervous if I was going to be able to make my connecting flight. As we took off the sun was up and I could see all of Paris, I could see all of France. I was sad to leave.

After three hours we finally made it to Iceland, and I was happy to be able to see the country from the sky because of the sun. Let me tell you it is a beauty. The beaches took my breath away. Once I landed, I rushed to find my connecting gate, once again I had to go through customs in Iceland. After making it through customs I found my gate as soon as they started letting people through. The one problem was I had to use the bathroom so bad and I hate using airplane toilets.

I finally made it on the airplane and to my seat, after boarding was done, I realized I had an entire row to myself. I was really happy about that. This flight home was a painful one. I had the worst sinuses problem which made my head feel as if it was about to explode. So, I tried to take my mind off of it by braiding my hair. So, the entire flight I spent the time doing my hair and fighting the pain. This is definitely a lesson learned. After six hours I finally landed back at Dulles. We got off the plane and made our way to customs. I was mentally preparing myself for the long lines. Once I got downstairs, I saw that there was no one in the room, the people from my flight were the only ones trying to get through customs at that time. I was in shock but definitely happy. It was quicker getting through customs this time than it did when I was coming back from Barcelona. I was finally home.

Traveling to Paris was a trip that I will never forget, I never thought I would be able to say that I got to travel the world twice in one year. This trip was definitely something that has had a great impact on my life. From the people that I was able to network with to the fact that I got to spend a long time with my family. This trip meant so much to me because since I reside in Washington, D.C. I don’t get to see my house family but every so often so the times that I do; I cherish.

I want to thank you guys for coming with me to Paris. This past month I have gotten the chance to reminisce and relive some of the best moments of my life. I hope that you guys have been able to enjoy Paris through me. If you plan on going any time soon let me know, if you have been to Paris already then share some of your stories. This has been the best experience yet; I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Bonus:

From my knowledge from a close friend the strike in Paris is still going on. Which means that their metro system has not been running to its full power since December. There are a lot of things going on in our world. Make sure that you are staying aware of what is happening in the world you never know what your voice could accomplish.

---