31. The NEWS 2007

32. Commitment celebration

Mas abajo en Español

Dear Friends and Family,


We are very happy to let you know that we have decided to celebrate our commitment and love for each other, and we are getting “gay married” this year!

We are currently doing all the paper work, and this 19th of January we are handing in our application, which will be processed within about two weeks by the municipality of Paris. This means that by February we will be “officially” PACSed (Couple contract)

However, the official celebration date for us will be the 07-07-07!!!!

The 7th of July 2007, in some beautiful surroundings
of Paris, we will be celebrating with friends and
family this very special day.
Funny enough, this is the date we set the first few weeks
we met in Australia!!!!


We are crazy enough to continue in love, not only as in the
honeymoon period but also in the real difficult times that
we have had in the last couple of years.
Yes, we are going to be three years together, by the
time we will be celebrating, and even when things have
been challenging, we believe that we have gone through
enough to understand that love is not simple, either
complex.

Day by day, we see each other really growing in the relationship, as well as individually. This is a good thing and a good reason to be together, for as long as our harts and our sense of freedom allow it.

You will soon hear of us with more details about our celebration day, day we hope you will be able to enjoy with us, whether you can make it to Paris or not.


Lots of love to all of you!
Cristina and Mariama

PS: for comments, click "comments" and under "choose an identity", click "Anonymous"

La Celebracion

Querida Familia y Amigos,

Queremos compartir con todos ustedes que hemos decidido celebrar nuestro compromiso de amor, y nos vamos a “casar” este año.

Por el momento estamos realizando el papeleo que esto implica, y el 19 de Enero vamos a presentarnos en la municipalidad de Paris, y en un tiempo de dos semanas deberíamos estar firmando nuestro pacto de matrimonio “gay”.

Pero, la celebracón oficial para nosotras será el 07-07-07!!!!

El sábado 7 de Julio 2007, en algún lugar bello de París, celebraremos con amigos y familias este importante evento en nuestras vidas.
Anecdóticamente, esta fecha es la que propusimos al comienzo de nuestra relación, cuando nos conocimos en Australia.

Seguimos lo suficientemente locas como para continuar enamoradas, inclusive después de pasar el periodo de “luna de miel” de una relación, y después de haber sobrepasado todos los desafíos que hemos enfrentado en estos últimos años. Creemos que después de todo esto, hemos comprendido que el amor no es cosa simple, ni tampoco complicada.

Poco a poco, hemos descubierto como seguir creciendo individualmente en la relación, y en la pareja. Este es un buen sintoma y una buena razon para qurer estar juntas por el tiempo que nuestros corazones lo quieran, y nuestra libertad personal lo permitan.

Pronto le vamos a dar más detalles de nuestra celebración, día el cual esperemos puedan celebrar con nosotros, ya sea aquí en París o a la distancia.

Cariños para todos!
Cristina and Mariama

PS: Para dejar un comentario, click "comments" y luego bajo "choose an identity", click "Anonymous"(asi puedes escribirnos aunque no seas un blogger!)

30. Re comenzando

29. Where do we start?

or where do we end!
so much has happened...we are tired...
La Menche

28. Comprometidas! / Engaged!

Oficialmente, el 8 de Agosto 2006 en el 56 piso del edificio Montparnass de Paris, nos hemos “comprometido”.

Oficially, on the 8th August 2006, 56th floor of the Montparness building in Paris, we have become "engaged"

Pronto haremos una fiesta con los amigos para celebrarl el "compromiso".

Soon we will have the official party with friends to celebrate the engament.

Montpartnass, the tallest building in Paris...

just wait for the view....

this is the view...

Check on the left side, you can see the Eiffel Tower sparklin at 12 midnigh.

PS The rings were made by cristina's friend Kate, who used to do all sort of rainbow things, and this particular rings were made with cristina's help, just a few weeks before her friend died in 2002 in a terrible accident. So they have been waiting for someone very special to wear them.
PS Los anillos fueron hechos por la amiga de cristina, Kate. Ella hacia todo tipo de cosas, pero siempre con los colores del arcoiris, y estos anillos en particular los hizo con la ayuda de cristina, solo un par de semanas antes de que ella falleciera en un tragico accidente. Por lo tanto estos anillos son muy especiales, y han esperado por la persona mas apropiada.

27. La Graduación/The Graduation!

Finalmente, y por primera vez en mi vida tuve una ceremonia de graduación para celebrar my 9.5 de 10 que saque en la tesis final de mi master.

Finally, for the first time of my life I had a graduation ceremony, celebrating my 9.5 out of 10 mark i got for my thesis.

Vanesa, lisa y Mariama me celebraron con torta, y nueve punto cinco tragos de piña colada…

Vanesa, Lisa and Mariama celebrated me with a cake and 9.5 shots of piña colada…

26. Visitas de Holanda

Nos visitaron buenas amigas desde holanda…

Aquí esta Marian, quien conoce a Mariama desde que tenia 5 años, así que es muy especial.

Ella vino con su hija que también se llama Mariama, y con ella conocí la casa de te musulmana.

Aquie esta Mariama, en la casa de te musulmana, que es muy bonita, y vivimos a cinco minutos de ella. En realidad es parte de una mesquita muy linda.


















A la izquierda esta Marian,
descansando y disfrutando
de la vista de Paris.




Mariama, Marian y Mariama

25. My Bike got Stolen!/Me robaron mi bicicleta!

This is my bike, and for a week i managed to enjoy it in Paris!
They stole it! and i am sad...
i was really enjoying biking Paris, and feeling for once i was getting to know the place like i know the streets of Sydney.



Esta es mi bicicleta, por una semana la tuve en Paris!
Me la robaron! Y estoy muy triste...
Estaba realmente disfrutando Paris en ella, y por primera vez en mucho tiempo, sentia que estaba conociendo sus calles y sus gente, tal como conozco Sydney.

:-( La Menche

24. Working in Paris!

Saliendo del trabajo...

un break antes de seguir...


los alrededores del trabajo de mariamaVolviendo a casa...

La Vie en Rose!

23. Summer in Paris

Life is shaping up here is Paris, dispite the fact that France lost :-(!

Since we were distracted by the MUNDIAL DE FUTBOL, we postpone giving you some good updates in relation to our stay in France.

Cristina’s Thesis:

Finally finished and done, hoping that someone at the University take some interested in it. But I have done my part and it feels amazing to have finished it amongst all the changes we have gone through in the last year. By the way is going to be a year in August, since we left Australia.

Mariama’s Secure a JOB:

Mariama has been given a permanent job, which here in France is very important. It is also important for us, since is giving us the kind of stability we wanted. She is enjoying this moment of fulfilling

a desire she had for long time, to work in an office, related to her law degree, and with a regular income!.

Home Sweet Home:

We are very happy in our new home. Our house mate Berna, is superb and she seems to be enjoying our company too (we think). The place is really comfortable, and we are receiving friends and family for almost the whole month of July and August. So, if you are planning to visit us, you better book soon! :-)

(photo: Berna and Jullian, her boyfriend, a very nice french boy!)

"Girl Friends":

We are welcoming some new girl friends in our life, and we are very happy to share beers and games with Lisa and Vanessa.

It looks like we are going to have lots of fun together, and we are welcoming this with open arms. The more the jolly!

Summer in France:

It is strange to be on summer in July and August!... there are many fun activities for free, festivals, exhibitions, and open space events! So it is a good augment for us to be here now.

Keep us post of your life in Australia, Chile, Ingland, Spain, Libanon, and Holland.

22. Vive la France!!

We are enjoying to be in a country that is wining!

what an experience..........some photos after the france vs brasil match..
wish you were here next weekend, we think France is the winner!

We want your ADDRESS!

Name:






Email Address:







Pleases type your date of birth...no need to type the year, if you don't want to...:-)







Please type your address and telephone number details, so we can send you a postcard!

21. Gay Pride Day in Paris!

Technically speaking, we have not missed one gay parade, since we left Australia. Amidst all the changes, and challenges we are constantly facing in our chosen new life, we managed to look happy and beautiful at the gay parade in Paris!

We were photographed more than 20 times, and since it was more crowded with heterosexuals than gay, we decided to follow the people we wanted to be photograph with; from the Parisian lesbians girls, to the African family.

Here some photos for you to enjoy…

more photos...

20.Finally we have a home!!!!

Para Español Click aquí

We are now living in our new home…big kitchen, nice comfy bed, a study/living room, all for us…

We are sharing with our new friend Berna, a Turkish girl, 31, architect, who has been living in France for six years.

Surrounding our new home, we have the new Modern Opera and one of the main train stations “Gare de Lyon”, which takes you to the south of France. Twice a week we have a fresh market on the footpath, to by fruits, bred, French cheese, meet, and typical “brics and bracs” from Paris. Five minutes walking is the Seine, and we are only 15 minutes walking to the Bastille, place to dance, drink and eat.(mostly tourist!)

The “internal” home is happy. A bedroom with not very nice coloured furnishes (pink) but we will dress it up with our colours, a study/living room with a huge study table and a couch to drop after work and to bed our friends when they come and visit. The Kitchen (my favour!!!) is big, with gas and an oven! A table for three, a dishwasher, a fridge, and lots of nice shelving for all the goodies. A doors opens for a mini balcony for the smokers, and from where we get nice fresh air coming in, it also lead to a lift where you can bring your shopping bags through!!

We are so happy to have found this, something to stabilize ourselves, and something really nice to live in.

If you would like us to send you our new detaisl, type your email and click YES!:

Email Address:

YES!

Thank you once again to all of you who gave us a hand to get this place, specially to Ruben, Kamalle, Farzin, and Mahmoud. Your help was crucial for this.

Here a photo of the kitchen, more to come later:

Finalmente, Un hogar!!!!

For English Click here

Finalmente hemos encontrado un hogar… una cocina grande, una cómoda cama, una sala de estudio/living, todo solo para nosotras…
Vamos a compartir con una chica muy simpática, Berna, vive en Francia desde hace seis años, originalmente de Turquía, arquitecto, 31 años….

Estamos cerca del Nuevo Opera de París, y una de las principales estaciones de tren “Gare de Lyon”, que te lleva al sur de Francia. Dos veces a la semana tenemos una feria de frutas y verduras, quesos franceses, y cosillas típicas de Francia. A cinco minutos del Siena, 15 minutos del Bastilla, un lugar muy turístico.

El hogar interno esta muy contento. Tenemos lugar para los amigos, cuando nos visiten. La cocina (Mi favorita!!) es grande, tenemos gas y un horno! Una meza acogedora, una maquina lavaloza, refrigerador, espacio suficiente para celebrar. Un pequeño balcón para los fumadores, y por donde entra el fresco del París… hace calor por ahora! Ah, y hasta un ascensor para subir las compras…

Estamos muy contentas de estar aquí, algo que nos estabilice, algo cómodo para vivir, y disfrutar de Francia…

Si quieres nuestra nueva direccion, escribe tu email, clic "SI, quiero tu direccion!", y luego clic en "Submit Form":

Tu Email:



SI,quiero tu direccion!

Aqui una foto de la cocina, vendran otras mas adelante:

19. Please Vote for ME!!!

Para Español Click aquí

Dear Friends and Family,

I am in the process of creating my presentation card, and I have been thinking as how would I title myself, what would represent me best, but most of all, what would make people wanting to work with me.

I invite you to vote in this very preliminary part of choosing a title and a description of who I am professionally:

PS: do not take too much notice of the fonts, or design since a graphic designer would look at it, but please notice the content.

Please choose the one you like the most, the one that catch your attention:

CRISTINA PALMA - CREATIVIST

CRISTINA PALMA - CULTURAL CREATIVIST

CRISTINA PALMA - CULTURAL CREATOR

CRISTINA PALMA - CREATIVE WRITER & CULTURAL CREATOR

Something like this:

the card would be something like this:

33 (0) 671 61 9 421 cristina@creativist.org CRISTINA PALMA CREATIVIST WRITING * RADIO * COMMUNITY PROJECTS * CROSSCULTURAL

+33 (0) 671 61 9 421 cristina@culturalcreativist.org CRISTINA PALMA CULTURAL CREATIVIST WRITING * RADIO * COMMUNITY PROJECTS* CROSSCULTURAL

An any positive feedback is welcome...