Mami #1 - Arc de Triomphe

My friend Mami came to visit me this weekend. For those of you who do not know who Mami is, let me explain. When I studied abroad in Valladolid, Spain in Fall 2007 I requested an international (non-native English speaker) roommate. I got what I asked for. Mami. She is from Nagoya, Japan and speaks Spanish very well. She is sort of my twin, my Japanese-Spanish-speaking twin. We are very similar and get along great. She is finishing her university studies this upcoming april. She studies International Relations and therefore took many Spanish courses. She already has a job lined up for when she graduates! She will start working as a travel agent / tour guide. During the first 3 years of the job she is required to travel at least 3 months - not necessarily all at the same time, but a few days here, a few weeks there, etc. The company pays for all of her airfare, hotels, travel expenses! How incredible is that! They want her to go to Spanish-speaking countries so she can do 'field work' and 'research' and bring back her findings to the company. It is her job to create travel packages, find good deals, and organize trip itineraries. Aweeeesomeee. I'm so happy for her! She is currently on her 2 week school vacation and since the yen is so strong right now she decided to take advantage of it and come to Paris to visit me, and spend the rest of the time in Spain visiting friends and host families. She was only here for 2 full days but we did e v e r y t h i n g. And yes, we spoke Spanish the entire time because that is the only tongue we have in common.

Mami y el Arco de Triunfo:

yo con el Arco:

detalles...

Mami...

yo...