The last time I wrote was an entirely different mindset; I was still very much a tourist who fumbled through basic French phrases and wandered with my oversized map in the metro. Now, although I am by no means French or fluent, I feel like I LIVE here. I can give people directions, have a conversation with a friend’s host family about my heritage and religion, and translate an old tour guide’s explanation of the catacombs to a family friend. It’s not much, but it is definitely progress- I feel myself so much more able to live and be in this city, and enjoy it with confidence, instead of avoiding human contact as much as possible. It’s nice; I know I still sound awkward and speak like a 4 year old (I am constantly reminded of David Sedaris’ short stories in “Me Talk Pretty One Day” where he describes his life in France), but I can get by.
I was accidentally given a big compliment on the metro last week- an American man and woman were sitting on the metro next to me. They were asking each other which stop they should get off on, and they couldn’t seem to figure it out. Finally, the woman told her husband to “just ask someone- but not her (me), she looks French and French woman are mean.” I tried my best not to smile or laugh, and attempted to maintain my tres frenchy metro glare. But how excited I was to be mistaken for a French person! Re-reading this, I’m repulsed by how snotty that sounds, but that isn’t my intention; I’m just excited to feel more like a citizen and less like a tourist.
Through a few different outlets, I’ve been exposed to a lot of film recently. Although I hardly ever go to the movies at home, I really enjoy going here. And the French really enjoy the cinema- I walked by a line of about 100 people this evening waiting outside. People go together of course, but a lot of people go alone. The state of France has a law that requires at least half of all films at a theatre to be of French origin (and least I think that is what my host father was trying to explain). So while there are a lot of American movies, there’s a lot of French and international cinema. The title translations for films are sometimes hilarious; “He’s Just Not that Into You” became “What Men Think” (depressing?) and “Revolutionary Road” became “The Wedded Rebels.” Unlike in the USA, you can’t get there too early because they screenings are so close together, and it’s rare to find a JUMBO popcorn/drink combo anywhere. Everyone here loves Woody Allen and Clint Eastwood, and there is a common belief that neither actor is admired enough in America.
I’m also taking a History of French Cinema class at IES. The professor is an adorable grandpa-esque director who enjoys pausing each film around 60 times to explain subtle points to the class. The French equivalent of “Gone with the Wind” (said by many to be the best French film ever made, a perennial classic with love and betrayal and such) is “Les Enfants Du Paradis.” I really liked it, besides thinking the entire time that the main male love interest resembled a 14 year old. We’ve watched a lot of things I can hardly understand- the sound quality, the slang and the accents make it borderline impossible- but we are moving into the 1950s so hopefully that’ll be clearer.
Our school took us to see “Les Plages d’Agnés” (the Beaches of Agnes), a self-documentary by Agnes Varda. She’s a famous French director and photographer, known for her bright fuschia hair and zany personality as much as for her works. Her office and home is on the same street as my school, and she has a big presence in the local community. Contrary to most other students on my program, I adored the movie and I kind of want to be her. She is 80 years old and a widow, but more alive and young and energetic than many people my age. She’s done enough to live nine different lives- hung out with Jim Morrison in LA for a few months, won the highest award at the Cannes Film Festival, traveled the world as a journalist and filmmaker… I was so inspired by how creative she is and how fun and full she has made her life.
I trekked to the BNF (the national library) for the first time to go to the European independent film festival this past weekend. We saw some crazy Fight Club-esque Swedish movie, a German one about an insane asylum making a bomb and an English one about a serial killer girlfriend. Sounds a lot more violent than it was, and the BNF is a remarkable building. It kind of looks like an upside down table with the legs sticking up.
Although there have been many memorable and scrumptious meals these past few weeks, here are the highlights:
The International Food Festival: also known as the most fantastic way to spend a Sunday. I went with a girl on my program and we posed as international farming students to get in for free (for the record, I have 15 hectares of cranberries). We started with the farm animals- a lot of children from Paris have never seen one, so lots of screaming and pointing and some tears accompanied said exhibit. About two feet away from the pig pens, some nice gentleman were passing out pork sausage samples which I gladly, although a little concernedly, ate (sorry Hallie and Gray). We spent about four hours in a massive convention center packed to the brim with food from every region and area of France- aperitif liquors, sweet cheese bread, foie gras, olive tapenade, macarons; no food was left unsampled. I bought some peach abricot liquor and some bread that looks like a tortoise shell but tastes like heaven. SO GOOD.
Peach Beer: A happy hour tradition I happily plan to bring with me back to the States. It’s beer- preferably something fruity and un-guinness like (say, Blue Moon) with a shot of peach liquor. It’s like kir (white wine and cassis) but beer style. So light and delicious.
Demi-Baguette: Since last we spoke, I have taken full advantage of the discovery that half baguettes cost about 40 cents. Most bakeries bake bread twice or three times a day, so if you go often you can find out when it will be hot. Many a delicious meal was made of an apple, some camembert (1.30 euro for the generic brand) and a hot demi baguette. Simple but so great.
Breakfast: The cuisine I miss most is definitely breakfast food (Clarke’s omelettes or Hector’s chocolate chip pancakes). The French don’t really do that- they like bread and butter and coffee, which is fine most of the time. However, I have recently discovered “Breakfast in America,” a diner started by an ex-pat who felt exactly as I do. And Voila! I have since enjoyed pb&j toast, sunny side up eggs, and lots of diner coffee from those weird-shaped pots. They also serve hamburgers, which I plan to try next time I’m craving In-N-Out.
This weekend marks one of my last fully in Paris. I’m starting to travel starting next weekend, and I’m very excited but also already queasy thinking about having to ever leave here. I’m going to Berlin next weekend and Madrid the weekend after, both to meet up with good friends of mine from NU. It’ll be good to see familiar and friendly faces, and I’ve only heard good things about both cities. What I’m most looking forward to is Spring Break- I’m going to Cairo! My cousin Kirsten is living there, and I’m going to be there for Easter and Eastern Easter, which are both a big deal there. Very excited to see something so completely different, and to be able to do it with someone I love who knows the city well. She’s already warned me that people will try to pet my hair, so that could get a bit annoying. After that, I’m going to Nice/Monaco and London. Woohoo!
I decided last week that I am going to attempt to live here this summer. Of course, there’s a lot of variables out of my control, like finding an under-the-table semi-well paying job and a place to live. But I’m going to make an effort to do it- I don’t know if I’ll have the opportunity to again, and I am really enjoying my time here. I also really want to improve my French enough so that I can get close to fluencyish and retain a lot when back in the USA.
Who knows…I also am waiting to hear back from a few grants and internships in New York, and that could change my mind. Hopefully something good works out…I also cannot wait until senior year and Chicago and living with my best friends in a great house. And 21 is coming soon!
There is so much more to write and I promise to be better at keeping up to date. I’m sick today- running nose and stuffy head- and had to brave the French pharmacy and try to explain my symptoms. I’m going to Berlin tomorrow so hopefully I kick this quick!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Bonne Chance...
Warning: This is a long post. Proceed with caution.
L’internet ne marche pas chez moi, so I have been incommunicado for the past 4 days. It has been a long time since I hadn’t checked gmail, huffingtonpost or NYT in four days, and I started to panic around Saturday morning. What if I got offered an internship that I had 24 hours to respond to? How will my friends know I’m alive? Etc, etc. But since I got over said panic, I’ve had a great time feeling slightly disconnected and on my own here. I bought Le Monde and the Pariscope to find out what the latest Sarkozy drama is and when “Les Noces Rebelles” (The Rebellious Honeymoon- it’s the title here for “Revolutionary Road”) is playing this week nearby. I explored a few areas I hadn’t yet- behind St. Germain des Pres, the whole back entrance of Montparnasse Cemetery- and went back to some of my already-favorites. It is hard to believe I’ve been here a whole month- it feels more like a day or two ago that I had my last American meal (Five Guys- excellent hamburgers and great company) and boarded a plane.
Last Monday, I went to “Entre Les Murs,” a pseudo-documentary about a public middle school in France. Although I had a hard time understanding l’argot (the slang) used by the students, it was such a fitting film for me. The students are learning French grammar, and are completely uninterested in why they need to learn the future subjunctive tense since only snobs would say things that way (I agree!). It was also interesting to see how the French school system was portrayed; there was racial tension, homophobic insults, immigration problems for families and students who were unwilling or unable to learn. Most of the challenges the teachers faced paralleled many challenges that the U.S. education system is facing.
After my initial shock-and-awe over Paris and its glamour, I’m becoming increasingly interested in the cultural and political make-up of the country. Many of the reasons I on-face agree with France and its state structure have created consequences I didn’t realize until I got here. For example, I would thing that it is great that there is such job security for individuals that have families and lives; having the knowledge that you can’t just be laid-off without a lot of hubbub is a good thing. But what has that allowed? Individuals who are not adequate workers in jobs that others deserve, people living on unemployment for years and years without really searching for new work, a job search for recent graduates that is more dismal than even the U.S. right now. Similarly, the lack of enforcement on rent payments or kicking out tenants has created a serious housing crisis; since there is no real threat of legal action if you refuse to move out, pay your rent, etc., there are thousands of people living for free in apartments, and thousands more living on the streets because subsidized housing is no longer available. It also seems like there is a general dependence on the state to fix every single problem. I disagree with the idea of small government that libertarians have or even conservatives in the U.S., but one positive result of that is the creation of outside organizations that work to solve issues like hunger, education, healthcare. In France, interest groups don’t exist. There is no lobbying or outside forces pressuring the government. There are demonstrations and strikes, but I have yet to understand how/if they affect governmental action (particularly in regards to demonstrations- I went to one this week for l’ultra gauche, or the ultra left. Sans internet, I’m not positive what their political views are, but I think they are calling for anarchy or at least a substantial shift away from capitalistic government. The protest was fun to be a part of but seemingly a joke; the protestors were outnumbered by policemen 2 to 1, they had no specific action they were calling for, and they scattered around 6 when the policemen told them to. What does that do?). The strikes also occur in predetermined times, at predetermined places and are done before talks begin. They are used here as a sign of solidarity or a demonstration of the strength of the workers, to force talks or contract negotiations. Also, strikes occur here almost solely in regards to workers that are employed by the state. Granted, there are a lot more workers employed by the state here (teachers, transportation workers), but there is no striking against abusive employers that are outside of the French government (like UNITE HERE and the casino industry). My host father likened the strikes of France to people in the U.S. striking the Pentagon- that would never happen in America. Of course, a big part of it is cultural differences and history of civil action, but I’m unconvinced of its effectiveness today. Currently, the Sorbonne and all of the other branches of the Universite of Paris are “en greve.” They are striking against the desire (and possible attempts? Again, sans internet) of the French government to change the public university system. Currently, in France, depending on one’s BACC score, French citizens are given free education (3 years of undergrad, 2 of masters). This is all financed by the state, and education (from pre-k-univ) made up 23% of the states budget in 2003. What a fantastic idea, eh? Well, because of the lack of adequate funding for some of the universities and school in the banlieues (suburbs), some of the schools are in need of an overhaul of the facilities but they have no money to do so. In an attempt to force college students into private schools, so that the state has less of a burden to pay for their education, the government is attempting to pull even more funding from universities. Particularly, they are slashing teacher salaries and refusing to pay for upkeep at schools like Sorbonne. Donc, the teachers are striking and the students are as well in solidarity. But not really- not all teachers are striking, some had a first class, gave everyone the syllabus and bibliography and told them they would see them at the final in 4 months, and some classes are altogether cancelled. Similarly, students are continuing to go to school for the most part, although there have been some noteworthy protests in the past few weeks. I went to the Bibliotheque St. Genevieve with a friend of mine who is a year long student- it is primarily for Sorbonne students, but you can get a library card if you are an international student too. The library is gorgeous and huge, and makes one actually want to study. It looks a little like Deering at Northwestern, or like something out of Harry Potter, but it is bigger and filled with beautiful French people. It certainly didn’t show any signs of a real strike- I am really interested in seeing what happens with the legislation and government’s action.
I found out early this week that the Everett Internship grant has been “suspended indefinitely” because of the economy. This grant funds a lot of the internships I was applying to- MOMA, NPR, Harlem Children’s Zone. I’m not sure what this means for my summer plans- I’m trying to look at it as a blessing in disguise and a way to justify staying in Europe for a while after my program. Waitressing in Chicago would not be the worst thing in the world by any means….We’ll see, but it is hard to worry/deal with this summer when I am very very far away, mentally and physically.
This week, I also went to a great museum in the far west of the city. Musee M…something Monet. It’s the M-name’s former residency, and a pretty schizophrenic collection. There are three rooms of Napoleonic furniture, with impressionist paintings. There’s also a room filled with callygraphied and gold-leafed ancient religious books. But upstairs! There is an amazing collection of impressionist work. I am so glad to be taking advantage of this city artistically, and I think that taking a modern art history class and drawing are both helping me understand, value and view critically all of this unbelievable artwork. In particular, I loved the huge Monet water lilies and a few others I forgot to write down…regardless, I want to go back again when I can- beautiful and small.
I also learned this week why I must not wait until 9 pm to make decide to make dinner- nothing is open. The grocery stores all close at 8 in my neighborhood, and I was running late and had no food= a dinner of some of my roommate’s Uncle Ben’s minute rice, and some lentils from my microwavable dinner. I should have known that any microwavable dinner that isn’t frozen or fridged, just kept at room temperature, cannot be very good. It was gross and I need to remember to go grocery shopping before I get into such dire straits again. For the past few days, I’ve been oh so French and bought an apple, a demi-baguette, and either some cheese or sausage. Cheap and so delish! I think that I’m starting to feel the effects of never really eating vegetables though, and I think I’m going to buy supplements because headaches are no good.
School-wise, everything is going well, although I need to put more work into my French language and culture class to get anything out of it. My class at ICP is interesting but kind of hard to follow, and I have the TA section at 8 am on Wednesdays….kill me. I like everything though, and I feel like I’m learning a lot. I only wish I was talking some sort of class that was more focused on the evolution of Parisian/French culture or politics….an independent study I suppose?
I have also started to experience the true joys of the metro system. A few days ago, at the Bastille, I accidentally ran into a 9 or so person orchestra rehearsal on my way to transfer trains. It reminded me of an article Colby gave me last year, about some primo violinist playing in the NYC subway. There was a large crowd, and I stuck around for a while. After talking to my host family here, I guess that Bastille is well-known for wonderful music in the subway. Yesterday I had a much different experience. There are a lot of homeless people who live in the stations during the day in seeping bags. When our train was stopped at the station, one of the homeless fell onto the tracks on the other side. I didn’t see it happen, but all of the sudden everyone was loking at the tracks and the man I was sitting next to was yelling. The homeless man was helped out by two of the commuters on the other side, but he seemd disoriented and had a hard time walking. Here is a true taste of Paris; the man on my train started complaining about how annoying that is, that he didn’t have time for the train to be delayed and that homeless men should just find somewhere else to jump.
It’s finally getting nicer outside too- less peacoats and scarves. Although I broke my pair of black boots and am going to need to buy some new ones, because even if it is 100 degrees, I have a feeling that the Parsians would be in stylish boots.
I’m definitely traveling less than I originally thought, and it’s for a couple of reasons. Practically, traveling is very expensive. But in reality, if I had all of the money possible, I’d still want to be here. Four months is not nearly enough to learn about and in Paris, and I want to explore and know and be as comfortable here as possible. If at the end of this program, I am still in desperate need of French advancement (which I am sure I will be), I think I’d like to come back after graduation to france, maybe paris, and learn and become fluent. I also think I would like to live in Senegal or a comparable country and teach English. If I don’t find my calling for a ew years post-graduation, I’d love to country and language hop for a few years and learn learn learn. The little I’ve picked up, both culturally and linguistically, in this month have really opened my eyes as to how important different opinions and beliefs and views are to make a holistic understanding, on specific topics and just on a general worldview.
My host father was so shocked when we were talking about journalism and media in the U.S. and in France. The fact that normal cable or satellite in the US has zero international news stations was so shocking to him- he couldn’t understand how we learned about anything. I told him that Americans are more interested in 30 channels for football usually, and he started telling me about the Noam Chomsky book he is reading. Oh life.
So, one month down. My feet are officially wet, and I want more and more to do France the “hard way.” Today I'm going to the Opera "Madame Butterfly," and I plan to fully revel in all things Mardi Gras here. A plus! BISOUS
L’internet ne marche pas chez moi, so I have been incommunicado for the past 4 days. It has been a long time since I hadn’t checked gmail, huffingtonpost or NYT in four days, and I started to panic around Saturday morning. What if I got offered an internship that I had 24 hours to respond to? How will my friends know I’m alive? Etc, etc. But since I got over said panic, I’ve had a great time feeling slightly disconnected and on my own here. I bought Le Monde and the Pariscope to find out what the latest Sarkozy drama is and when “Les Noces Rebelles” (The Rebellious Honeymoon- it’s the title here for “Revolutionary Road”) is playing this week nearby. I explored a few areas I hadn’t yet- behind St. Germain des Pres, the whole back entrance of Montparnasse Cemetery- and went back to some of my already-favorites. It is hard to believe I’ve been here a whole month- it feels more like a day or two ago that I had my last American meal (Five Guys- excellent hamburgers and great company) and boarded a plane.
Last Monday, I went to “Entre Les Murs,” a pseudo-documentary about a public middle school in France. Although I had a hard time understanding l’argot (the slang) used by the students, it was such a fitting film for me. The students are learning French grammar, and are completely uninterested in why they need to learn the future subjunctive tense since only snobs would say things that way (I agree!). It was also interesting to see how the French school system was portrayed; there was racial tension, homophobic insults, immigration problems for families and students who were unwilling or unable to learn. Most of the challenges the teachers faced paralleled many challenges that the U.S. education system is facing.
After my initial shock-and-awe over Paris and its glamour, I’m becoming increasingly interested in the cultural and political make-up of the country. Many of the reasons I on-face agree with France and its state structure have created consequences I didn’t realize until I got here. For example, I would thing that it is great that there is such job security for individuals that have families and lives; having the knowledge that you can’t just be laid-off without a lot of hubbub is a good thing. But what has that allowed? Individuals who are not adequate workers in jobs that others deserve, people living on unemployment for years and years without really searching for new work, a job search for recent graduates that is more dismal than even the U.S. right now. Similarly, the lack of enforcement on rent payments or kicking out tenants has created a serious housing crisis; since there is no real threat of legal action if you refuse to move out, pay your rent, etc., there are thousands of people living for free in apartments, and thousands more living on the streets because subsidized housing is no longer available. It also seems like there is a general dependence on the state to fix every single problem. I disagree with the idea of small government that libertarians have or even conservatives in the U.S., but one positive result of that is the creation of outside organizations that work to solve issues like hunger, education, healthcare. In France, interest groups don’t exist. There is no lobbying or outside forces pressuring the government. There are demonstrations and strikes, but I have yet to understand how/if they affect governmental action (particularly in regards to demonstrations- I went to one this week for l’ultra gauche, or the ultra left. Sans internet, I’m not positive what their political views are, but I think they are calling for anarchy or at least a substantial shift away from capitalistic government. The protest was fun to be a part of but seemingly a joke; the protestors were outnumbered by policemen 2 to 1, they had no specific action they were calling for, and they scattered around 6 when the policemen told them to. What does that do?). The strikes also occur in predetermined times, at predetermined places and are done before talks begin. They are used here as a sign of solidarity or a demonstration of the strength of the workers, to force talks or contract negotiations. Also, strikes occur here almost solely in regards to workers that are employed by the state. Granted, there are a lot more workers employed by the state here (teachers, transportation workers), but there is no striking against abusive employers that are outside of the French government (like UNITE HERE and the casino industry). My host father likened the strikes of France to people in the U.S. striking the Pentagon- that would never happen in America. Of course, a big part of it is cultural differences and history of civil action, but I’m unconvinced of its effectiveness today. Currently, the Sorbonne and all of the other branches of the Universite of Paris are “en greve.” They are striking against the desire (and possible attempts? Again, sans internet) of the French government to change the public university system. Currently, in France, depending on one’s BACC score, French citizens are given free education (3 years of undergrad, 2 of masters). This is all financed by the state, and education (from pre-k-univ) made up 23% of the states budget in 2003. What a fantastic idea, eh? Well, because of the lack of adequate funding for some of the universities and school in the banlieues (suburbs), some of the schools are in need of an overhaul of the facilities but they have no money to do so. In an attempt to force college students into private schools, so that the state has less of a burden to pay for their education, the government is attempting to pull even more funding from universities. Particularly, they are slashing teacher salaries and refusing to pay for upkeep at schools like Sorbonne. Donc, the teachers are striking and the students are as well in solidarity. But not really- not all teachers are striking, some had a first class, gave everyone the syllabus and bibliography and told them they would see them at the final in 4 months, and some classes are altogether cancelled. Similarly, students are continuing to go to school for the most part, although there have been some noteworthy protests in the past few weeks. I went to the Bibliotheque St. Genevieve with a friend of mine who is a year long student- it is primarily for Sorbonne students, but you can get a library card if you are an international student too. The library is gorgeous and huge, and makes one actually want to study. It looks a little like Deering at Northwestern, or like something out of Harry Potter, but it is bigger and filled with beautiful French people. It certainly didn’t show any signs of a real strike- I am really interested in seeing what happens with the legislation and government’s action.
I found out early this week that the Everett Internship grant has been “suspended indefinitely” because of the economy. This grant funds a lot of the internships I was applying to- MOMA, NPR, Harlem Children’s Zone. I’m not sure what this means for my summer plans- I’m trying to look at it as a blessing in disguise and a way to justify staying in Europe for a while after my program. Waitressing in Chicago would not be the worst thing in the world by any means….We’ll see, but it is hard to worry/deal with this summer when I am very very far away, mentally and physically.
This week, I also went to a great museum in the far west of the city. Musee M…something Monet. It’s the M-name’s former residency, and a pretty schizophrenic collection. There are three rooms of Napoleonic furniture, with impressionist paintings. There’s also a room filled with callygraphied and gold-leafed ancient religious books. But upstairs! There is an amazing collection of impressionist work. I am so glad to be taking advantage of this city artistically, and I think that taking a modern art history class and drawing are both helping me understand, value and view critically all of this unbelievable artwork. In particular, I loved the huge Monet water lilies and a few others I forgot to write down…regardless, I want to go back again when I can- beautiful and small.
I also learned this week why I must not wait until 9 pm to make decide to make dinner- nothing is open. The grocery stores all close at 8 in my neighborhood, and I was running late and had no food= a dinner of some of my roommate’s Uncle Ben’s minute rice, and some lentils from my microwavable dinner. I should have known that any microwavable dinner that isn’t frozen or fridged, just kept at room temperature, cannot be very good. It was gross and I need to remember to go grocery shopping before I get into such dire straits again. For the past few days, I’ve been oh so French and bought an apple, a demi-baguette, and either some cheese or sausage. Cheap and so delish! I think that I’m starting to feel the effects of never really eating vegetables though, and I think I’m going to buy supplements because headaches are no good.
School-wise, everything is going well, although I need to put more work into my French language and culture class to get anything out of it. My class at ICP is interesting but kind of hard to follow, and I have the TA section at 8 am on Wednesdays….kill me. I like everything though, and I feel like I’m learning a lot. I only wish I was talking some sort of class that was more focused on the evolution of Parisian/French culture or politics….an independent study I suppose?
I have also started to experience the true joys of the metro system. A few days ago, at the Bastille, I accidentally ran into a 9 or so person orchestra rehearsal on my way to transfer trains. It reminded me of an article Colby gave me last year, about some primo violinist playing in the NYC subway. There was a large crowd, and I stuck around for a while. After talking to my host family here, I guess that Bastille is well-known for wonderful music in the subway. Yesterday I had a much different experience. There are a lot of homeless people who live in the stations during the day in seeping bags. When our train was stopped at the station, one of the homeless fell onto the tracks on the other side. I didn’t see it happen, but all of the sudden everyone was loking at the tracks and the man I was sitting next to was yelling. The homeless man was helped out by two of the commuters on the other side, but he seemd disoriented and had a hard time walking. Here is a true taste of Paris; the man on my train started complaining about how annoying that is, that he didn’t have time for the train to be delayed and that homeless men should just find somewhere else to jump.
It’s finally getting nicer outside too- less peacoats and scarves. Although I broke my pair of black boots and am going to need to buy some new ones, because even if it is 100 degrees, I have a feeling that the Parsians would be in stylish boots.
I’m definitely traveling less than I originally thought, and it’s for a couple of reasons. Practically, traveling is very expensive. But in reality, if I had all of the money possible, I’d still want to be here. Four months is not nearly enough to learn about and in Paris, and I want to explore and know and be as comfortable here as possible. If at the end of this program, I am still in desperate need of French advancement (which I am sure I will be), I think I’d like to come back after graduation to france, maybe paris, and learn and become fluent. I also think I would like to live in Senegal or a comparable country and teach English. If I don’t find my calling for a ew years post-graduation, I’d love to country and language hop for a few years and learn learn learn. The little I’ve picked up, both culturally and linguistically, in this month have really opened my eyes as to how important different opinions and beliefs and views are to make a holistic understanding, on specific topics and just on a general worldview.
My host father was so shocked when we were talking about journalism and media in the U.S. and in France. The fact that normal cable or satellite in the US has zero international news stations was so shocking to him- he couldn’t understand how we learned about anything. I told him that Americans are more interested in 30 channels for football usually, and he started telling me about the Noam Chomsky book he is reading. Oh life.
So, one month down. My feet are officially wet, and I want more and more to do France the “hard way.” Today I'm going to the Opera "Madame Butterfly," and I plan to fully revel in all things Mardi Gras here. A plus! BISOUS
Monday, February 16, 2009
Weekly Update
The blog returns! It’s hard to find time to write everyday, so I apologize for long entries and spotty upkeep….
Last Wednesday, my host mom Sabrina had two of her friend’s daughters over. They are both in their mid-20s and French. One is a fashion design intern, and the other I think is either a cellphone branch manager or a flight attendant (she talked a lot about having great cell service and all the flights she has been on). We ate smoked salmon and creamed spinach, drank a lot of wine, and devoured homemade apple tart.
The girls were very nice but hard for me to understand- the flight attendant used a lot of slang and spoke as fast as most 13 year olds, and the other girl had some sort of accent working that made everything slightly incomprehensible. I think my older host brother, Alexis, got a date out of it! (or a job offer, I couldn’t really tell)
Thursday was my first day of class at Institut Catholic, the French school I’ll be studying at. It’s a class on 20th century political theories, starting with WW1. The class is a 300 person International Studies 101 type of scene. Reminiscent of those classes in LR3 in Tech where half the kids are asleep, watching internet TV or doing the Daily Northwestern crossword (guilty). But it’s a perfect class for me; topics I understand, students who are new to college, and a professor who writes a lot of notes on the whiteboard. Hurrah! ICP is also right next door to the Luxembourg Gardens, so I foresee lots of picnics and book reading.
One of my local friends told me that ICP is a pretty awful school here, since all the really smart kids who tested well go to free public universities, and ICP is private (oh, how much more sense this makes to me than the U.S. system). However, they have an excellent coffee machine and a nice professor, so all is well. It’s also so interesting to learn about political theories and international news from the French perspective instead of the American one. When the professor talked about Wilson’s 14 points, he heralded it as a revolution of the time, when here in the U.S. it was rejected by Congress and seen as a failed mission…I’m a nerd.
That night I went to Social Club, a House music ravehouse type thingy. After paying a silly cover and immediately losing half the people I came with, I had a blast. Lots of very sweaty, skinny European men and overpriced drinks. Coming home was slightly less great- I missed the night bus (the Noctilien) and ended up in the snow, far away from Malakoff. I made it, thanks to a crazy cab driver and a discovery of 8 euros in my pocket.
Friday night is free at the Louvre for everyone under 26. There was a dance performance in the Oriental section that was…very French. VERY French. I did not understand the artistic significance of dressing up in paper bags and staring at each other, but the dancers were beautiful and the museum felt very alive. It was my first time at the Louvre, and I saw all the absolute essentials, but it’s obvious I could go 20 times and never see half of it. With a couple of other students, I went to a sushi place by Opera and was happily surprised with how delish it was. Bastille is the younger and social district of the city, and I met up with a couple of friends at a fun bar with pink polka dots and funny named drinks. The Metro closes at 2 am on the weekends, which makes life so much better.
Saturday, Valentine’s Day. I explored a neighborhood in the Northeast of the called Belleville; very ethnic, with beautiful views and windy roads and intricate graffiti. At one point, it was Europe’s center of artisanal work, and there are still tons of teeny handmade hat and shoe stores. Also really good Algerian pastries, and nicer people.
Later, I got thoroughly lost on Rue Lepic in Montmartre. It’s nearby where Amelie was filmed, and full of life. There was some sort of Scottish parade going on, and of course lots of making out and hand holding. I walked around with friends, and then we bought strawberries, chocolate cookies and whipped cream and made dinner at the apartments. My host parents had a good friend who got married that day, and they hosted the after-party in our basement. Bruno, my pere d’accueil (or host dad), has a huge photography studio in the basement that they transformed into a strobe-lit, DJed dance floor. Lots of champagned, dancing French people and laughing. It was a great night.
Sunday was the first beautiful day we’ve had- lots of sun and fewer scarves. I took a (Very) long walk to Centre Pompidou, the modern art museum of Paris. It’s beautiful and so striking in this city filled with Haussmanian architecture; finished in 1978, the building is completely inside out. Water ducts, air filters, the metal infrastructure is all on the outside. The library there is huge and free, so I did some homework and looked outside to all the people basking in the square. After about 30 minutes, I gave up on my minimal work and walked to the Notre Dame gardens to meet up with a friend.
I again attended the Shakespeare and Co. tea party, and the crazy woman remembered me! It was nice to see a few familiar faces and meet a few other fascinating people. Made it home for family dinner, which included tarts from a new local patisserie.
Today was class, class and scheduling trips. I’m on my 6th cup of instant coffee so far, and dinner is in a bit. I’m going to see “Entre Les Murs” tonight, a really well regarded French film that won at Cannes (It is being shown in America with the title “The Class”).
I love it here- my family, my classes, the city. But I can’t help myself from missing my friends at home…it’s hard to be here without anyone I feel very close with to share it. The people I’ve met are lovely, and I’m having a lot of fun on my own too, but I am also constantly reminded how lucky I am to have such fantastic family and friends aux Etats-Unis.
BISOUS
Last Wednesday, my host mom Sabrina had two of her friend’s daughters over. They are both in their mid-20s and French. One is a fashion design intern, and the other I think is either a cellphone branch manager or a flight attendant (she talked a lot about having great cell service and all the flights she has been on). We ate smoked salmon and creamed spinach, drank a lot of wine, and devoured homemade apple tart.
The girls were very nice but hard for me to understand- the flight attendant used a lot of slang and spoke as fast as most 13 year olds, and the other girl had some sort of accent working that made everything slightly incomprehensible. I think my older host brother, Alexis, got a date out of it! (or a job offer, I couldn’t really tell)
Thursday was my first day of class at Institut Catholic, the French school I’ll be studying at. It’s a class on 20th century political theories, starting with WW1. The class is a 300 person International Studies 101 type of scene. Reminiscent of those classes in LR3 in Tech where half the kids are asleep, watching internet TV or doing the Daily Northwestern crossword (guilty). But it’s a perfect class for me; topics I understand, students who are new to college, and a professor who writes a lot of notes on the whiteboard. Hurrah! ICP is also right next door to the Luxembourg Gardens, so I foresee lots of picnics and book reading.
One of my local friends told me that ICP is a pretty awful school here, since all the really smart kids who tested well go to free public universities, and ICP is private (oh, how much more sense this makes to me than the U.S. system). However, they have an excellent coffee machine and a nice professor, so all is well. It’s also so interesting to learn about political theories and international news from the French perspective instead of the American one. When the professor talked about Wilson’s 14 points, he heralded it as a revolution of the time, when here in the U.S. it was rejected by Congress and seen as a failed mission…I’m a nerd.
That night I went to Social Club, a House music ravehouse type thingy. After paying a silly cover and immediately losing half the people I came with, I had a blast. Lots of very sweaty, skinny European men and overpriced drinks. Coming home was slightly less great- I missed the night bus (the Noctilien) and ended up in the snow, far away from Malakoff. I made it, thanks to a crazy cab driver and a discovery of 8 euros in my pocket.
Friday night is free at the Louvre for everyone under 26. There was a dance performance in the Oriental section that was…very French. VERY French. I did not understand the artistic significance of dressing up in paper bags and staring at each other, but the dancers were beautiful and the museum felt very alive. It was my first time at the Louvre, and I saw all the absolute essentials, but it’s obvious I could go 20 times and never see half of it. With a couple of other students, I went to a sushi place by Opera and was happily surprised with how delish it was. Bastille is the younger and social district of the city, and I met up with a couple of friends at a fun bar with pink polka dots and funny named drinks. The Metro closes at 2 am on the weekends, which makes life so much better.
Saturday, Valentine’s Day. I explored a neighborhood in the Northeast of the called Belleville; very ethnic, with beautiful views and windy roads and intricate graffiti. At one point, it was Europe’s center of artisanal work, and there are still tons of teeny handmade hat and shoe stores. Also really good Algerian pastries, and nicer people.
Later, I got thoroughly lost on Rue Lepic in Montmartre. It’s nearby where Amelie was filmed, and full of life. There was some sort of Scottish parade going on, and of course lots of making out and hand holding. I walked around with friends, and then we bought strawberries, chocolate cookies and whipped cream and made dinner at the apartments. My host parents had a good friend who got married that day, and they hosted the after-party in our basement. Bruno, my pere d’accueil (or host dad), has a huge photography studio in the basement that they transformed into a strobe-lit, DJed dance floor. Lots of champagned, dancing French people and laughing. It was a great night.
Sunday was the first beautiful day we’ve had- lots of sun and fewer scarves. I took a (Very) long walk to Centre Pompidou, the modern art museum of Paris. It’s beautiful and so striking in this city filled with Haussmanian architecture; finished in 1978, the building is completely inside out. Water ducts, air filters, the metal infrastructure is all on the outside. The library there is huge and free, so I did some homework and looked outside to all the people basking in the square. After about 30 minutes, I gave up on my minimal work and walked to the Notre Dame gardens to meet up with a friend.
I again attended the Shakespeare and Co. tea party, and the crazy woman remembered me! It was nice to see a few familiar faces and meet a few other fascinating people. Made it home for family dinner, which included tarts from a new local patisserie.
Today was class, class and scheduling trips. I’m on my 6th cup of instant coffee so far, and dinner is in a bit. I’m going to see “Entre Les Murs” tonight, a really well regarded French film that won at Cannes (It is being shown in America with the title “The Class”).
I love it here- my family, my classes, the city. But I can’t help myself from missing my friends at home…it’s hard to be here without anyone I feel very close with to share it. The people I’ve met are lovely, and I’m having a lot of fun on my own too, but I am also constantly reminded how lucky I am to have such fantastic family and friends aux Etats-Unis.
BISOUS
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Pain au Chocolat
She is pretty indescribable; she lives with the 95 year old owner of the store, George, and she has been hosting these parties every Sunday at 4 for decades. She is a writer with an alter ego named Pam Ellis (sp?), a constant interrupter, 1/2 Welsh 1/2 Irish, and a generally exhausting woman. She was also a perfect character of the woman who lives above Shakespeare & Co. and hosts tea parties. She was joined by her dog, her kitten, and George for a moment. It felt kind of like being Alice in Wonderland at the Mad Hatter's, stunned into silence over the goings on and the poem reading and the stories about life in Manhattan and the constant pushing for her guests to tell their stories moments before she would interrupt with her own tangent.
It was glorious. I drank earl grey tea (my favorite), ate madeleines, and met some truly fantastic people. It was a good mix of French and English, and I met a Moroccan college student and a French actor who I liked very much. Hopefully, we will see each other this week, but if not we promised to meet again next Sunday afternoon. I also made friends with Teddy, an employee, who told me I am welcome to come anytime and help out around the shop. I think I'll go early this week and see if I can't make myself useful. I also found out it is possible to stay the night there, which I absolutely want to do. The view of Notre Dame, the feeling of being a part of a magical store, the BOOKS are all too hard to resist.
At chez Barjhoux now, about to sit down for dinner. I am lucky to have an incredibly welcoming and funny host family, and I love our 3 hour dinners and my mangled attempts at French (oftentimes, they ask the other student living here, Sarah, to translate what I am attempting to say).
That was the holdover from when my internet/word crashed on Sunday night.
Classes have commenced! And so far, everything is great. I particularly love my history of modern art class. The professor is so very French- crazy white hair and huge spectacles sweaters with lots of multicolored buttons, and a hatred for drinking and eating in her classroom. We are going on a lot of museum visits and escapades, and I’m very interested in the topic. I don’t know if she is really trying to make sure idiots like me understand or if I have greatly improved (probably the former), but I don’t have much trouble understanding her class.
I have Cinema and Society on Mondays and Wednesdays as well. The professor looks like the nicest little grandpa ever, but today we talked about voyeurism and pornography (I have absolutely no idea what was going on). I like him a lot though, and i could use to learn a thing or two about these things. The class is form 4-5:30 though, and many times the lights are off and movies are being watched= voila! I fall asleep.
My French language and culture class is definitely my most challenging. The teacher is the academic dean of the program (just my luck), and I someone placed into the 5th level class instead of the 1st, which is probably where I belong. The teacher and students are all nice though, and it is forcing me to learn quickly, so all is well. Today I read the uber-left paper, Libération, for a presentation tomorrow; I learned all about how awful Sarkozy is and how great socialism would be for Paris.
I’m also taking a drawing class- the teacher saw my attempt at atill-life yesterday and said “I guess you are new yes?” Apparently, I have no concept of perception. Pshaa. I have my first class at Institut Catholic tomorrow—the Sorbonne is on strike so I am taking classes at the ICP because it is closer and has smaller classes and isn’t on strike (I know dad- never cross a picket line). I am taking the “origin of political identity in Paris,” which sounds scary in English let alone French. I am sure it will be fun though, and if not, I found an excellent crepe place around the corner to sneak off to.
I went with my home stay parents to the movies last night. We saw CHE- in Spanish, with French subtitles. I understood about 95% of it, and thought it was very well done. Part 2 next week!
Tonight, my host mom Sabrina invited over some family friends and their daughters for dinner. I guess they are bilingual and my age, so new French friends (always a good thing)! I am also going to my first Parisian rave tomorrow...Hopefully I learn how to tecktonic dance and look like this by Saturday: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bytf3gZMFkY&ei=rCKTSf27ApWksAO1qLSsCw&sa=X&oi=spellmeleon_result&resnum=1&ct=result&cd=1&usg=AFQjCNH4rS4saNCLbBiND3CQh7YT5EuVAA
….maybe not
XOXOXO
It was glorious. I drank earl grey tea (my favorite), ate madeleines, and met some truly fantastic people. It was a good mix of French and English, and I met a Moroccan college student and a French actor who I liked very much. Hopefully, we will see each other this week, but if not we promised to meet again next Sunday afternoon. I also made friends with Teddy, an employee, who told me I am welcome to come anytime and help out around the shop. I think I'll go early this week and see if I can't make myself useful. I also found out it is possible to stay the night there, which I absolutely want to do. The view of Notre Dame, the feeling of being a part of a magical store, the BOOKS are all too hard to resist.
At chez Barjhoux now, about to sit down for dinner. I am lucky to have an incredibly welcoming and funny host family, and I love our 3 hour dinners and my mangled attempts at French (oftentimes, they ask the other student living here, Sarah, to translate what I am attempting to say).
That was the holdover from when my internet/word crashed on Sunday night.
Classes have commenced! And so far, everything is great. I particularly love my history of modern art class. The professor is so very French- crazy white hair and huge spectacles sweaters with lots of multicolored buttons, and a hatred for drinking and eating in her classroom. We are going on a lot of museum visits and escapades, and I’m very interested in the topic. I don’t know if she is really trying to make sure idiots like me understand or if I have greatly improved (probably the former), but I don’t have much trouble understanding her class.
I have Cinema and Society on Mondays and Wednesdays as well. The professor looks like the nicest little grandpa ever, but today we talked about voyeurism and pornography (I have absolutely no idea what was going on). I like him a lot though, and i could use to learn a thing or two about these things. The class is form 4-5:30 though, and many times the lights are off and movies are being watched= voila! I fall asleep.
My French language and culture class is definitely my most challenging. The teacher is the academic dean of the program (just my luck), and I someone placed into the 5th level class instead of the 1st, which is probably where I belong. The teacher and students are all nice though, and it is forcing me to learn quickly, so all is well. Today I read the uber-left paper, Libération, for a presentation tomorrow; I learned all about how awful Sarkozy is and how great socialism would be for Paris.
I’m also taking a drawing class- the teacher saw my attempt at atill-life yesterday and said “I guess you are new yes?” Apparently, I have no concept of perception. Pshaa. I have my first class at Institut Catholic tomorrow—the Sorbonne is on strike so I am taking classes at the ICP because it is closer and has smaller classes and isn’t on strike (I know dad- never cross a picket line). I am taking the “origin of political identity in Paris,” which sounds scary in English let alone French. I am sure it will be fun though, and if not, I found an excellent crepe place around the corner to sneak off to.
I went with my home stay parents to the movies last night. We saw CHE- in Spanish, with French subtitles. I understood about 95% of it, and thought it was very well done. Part 2 next week!
Tonight, my host mom Sabrina invited over some family friends and their daughters for dinner. I guess they are bilingual and my age, so new French friends (always a good thing)! I am also going to my first Parisian rave tomorrow...Hopefully I learn how to tecktonic dance and look like this by Saturday: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bytf3gZMFkY&ei=rCKTSf27ApWksAO1qLSsCw&sa=X&oi=spellmeleon_result&resnum=1&ct=result&cd=1&usg=AFQjCNH4rS4saNCLbBiND3CQh7YT5EuVAA
….maybe not
XOXOXO
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Tea Time
The past two days have been wonderful and reaffirming. Saturday was the welcome lunch for IES students at Atelier Guy Martin. It was great fun... the students made the food in this fantastic restaurant, and were instructed by the chefs. We made (slightly burnt) quinoa with creme fraiche and tomatoes and peppers and onions and fennel, chicken breast, and CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE. this whole blog endeavor could easily become "the things Chenault ate in France" because I eat alot of really good things here, but this souffle was unreal. They also passed around the equivalent of souffle batter....good god.
As we left the restaurant, it was snowing! While I by no means miss the winter quarter weather of Evanston, an occasional snow flurry is one of my favorite things. Big thick flakes swirled around as we ran to the metro, and necessitated an immediate tea drinking session chez Rachel (a girl from Kenyon College who I like very much). She lives in the Marais, a part of Paris filled with great spots- jewish delis, falafel stands, vintage stores, gay bars. We munched on yeastless bread (her host father is a Spanish chef) and drank tea while planning trips for the rest of our stay here. I already feel like I don't have a long enough time here, and I think I am going toe nd up traveling less than I had expected because I don't want to miss out on this city. There is so much to do and see here, and it seems silly to waste what is at my fingertips by leaving every weekend...
After a mini sex and the city marathon (some things never change), Rachel and I bought street crepes and headed over to a house party we were invited to at lunch. The girl who was hosting, Kamila, is a year-long IES student. She lives with her French cousin, so it was a good mix of bilingual folks. Also, there was really good food and music (pasta salad type thingy and MGMT). For the first time, it felt completely normal to be speaking in French with local Parisians. I am by no means up to par, but I have noticed that I can understand so much more than I could even last week, and I can speak at least a little more than I could before. I met alot of year-long students, as well as some fun French guys who are planning a trip to Las Vegas. I also experienced the joys of Polish Vodka....never again will I look at this divine beverage the same way.
Stayed over with Rachel (taking the metro home by yourself at 1 am is scary), and bought fromage blanc (a yogurty type substance this morning) for breakfast. It was much nicer out today than yesterday, so we mossied around the streets of Paris for a long while. Ile St. Louis, one of the two islands that are in the heart of Paris, on the Seine, is a little less touristy but a lot of fun. It is filled with art galleries, tiny cafes, childrens toy stores, and beautiful homes. We watched a street performer make a complete fool of himself, and found out the hard way hoe prevalent dog poop is on every street corner....yuck.
Eventually, we found ourselves at Shakespeare & Co., a very famous English speaking bookstore right across from Notre Dame. I had been before, but felt much more comfortable this time perusing the sale books and everything else. As anyone who knows me well could vouch for, I would rather shop for books than basically anything else. And this store is magical-- they have so much in such a tiny space, and the diverse crowd it attracts makes for great people watching. A guy from the party told me that he works there and was going to have tea this afternoon, so we showed up expecting to go grab something from a corner cafe. I obviously misinterpreted- at 4 o'clock on the dot, we were ushered upstairs by a 70-ish woman with huge blue eyes to the 5th floor. There, in an apartment, was a room set up for tea. The apartment looked as mine will if I end up some old maid-- crammed with thousands of books, photos and letters from all over, decorated with mismatched chairs and tiffany lamps. I loved it.
The woman shuttled myself and about 20 other "guests" in (everyone downstairs shopping was invited up, and we were accompanied by five or six regular attendees). Immediately, she called for a show of hands of who wants milk and sugar in their tea. The vast majority of attendees looked as curious and naive as I was. Without further ado, our hostess began what would be a 2 and half hour tea party....
PART 2 tomorrow...my internet here deleted alot of what i wrote yesterday, but I will send the rest tonight or tomorrow. BISOUS.
As we left the restaurant, it was snowing! While I by no means miss the winter quarter weather of Evanston, an occasional snow flurry is one of my favorite things. Big thick flakes swirled around as we ran to the metro, and necessitated an immediate tea drinking session chez Rachel (a girl from Kenyon College who I like very much). She lives in the Marais, a part of Paris filled with great spots- jewish delis, falafel stands, vintage stores, gay bars. We munched on yeastless bread (her host father is a Spanish chef) and drank tea while planning trips for the rest of our stay here. I already feel like I don't have a long enough time here, and I think I am going toe nd up traveling less than I had expected because I don't want to miss out on this city. There is so much to do and see here, and it seems silly to waste what is at my fingertips by leaving every weekend...
After a mini sex and the city marathon (some things never change), Rachel and I bought street crepes and headed over to a house party we were invited to at lunch. The girl who was hosting, Kamila, is a year-long IES student. She lives with her French cousin, so it was a good mix of bilingual folks. Also, there was really good food and music (pasta salad type thingy and MGMT). For the first time, it felt completely normal to be speaking in French with local Parisians. I am by no means up to par, but I have noticed that I can understand so much more than I could even last week, and I can speak at least a little more than I could before. I met alot of year-long students, as well as some fun French guys who are planning a trip to Las Vegas. I also experienced the joys of Polish Vodka....never again will I look at this divine beverage the same way.
Stayed over with Rachel (taking the metro home by yourself at 1 am is scary), and bought fromage blanc (a yogurty type substance this morning) for breakfast. It was much nicer out today than yesterday, so we mossied around the streets of Paris for a long while. Ile St. Louis, one of the two islands that are in the heart of Paris, on the Seine, is a little less touristy but a lot of fun. It is filled with art galleries, tiny cafes, childrens toy stores, and beautiful homes. We watched a street performer make a complete fool of himself, and found out the hard way hoe prevalent dog poop is on every street corner....yuck.
Eventually, we found ourselves at Shakespeare & Co., a very famous English speaking bookstore right across from Notre Dame. I had been before, but felt much more comfortable this time perusing the sale books and everything else. As anyone who knows me well could vouch for, I would rather shop for books than basically anything else. And this store is magical-- they have so much in such a tiny space, and the diverse crowd it attracts makes for great people watching. A guy from the party told me that he works there and was going to have tea this afternoon, so we showed up expecting to go grab something from a corner cafe. I obviously misinterpreted- at 4 o'clock on the dot, we were ushered upstairs by a 70-ish woman with huge blue eyes to the 5th floor. There, in an apartment, was a room set up for tea. The apartment looked as mine will if I end up some old maid-- crammed with thousands of books, photos and letters from all over, decorated with mismatched chairs and tiffany lamps. I loved it.
The woman shuttled myself and about 20 other "guests" in (everyone downstairs shopping was invited up, and we were accompanied by five or six regular attendees). Immediately, she called for a show of hands of who wants milk and sugar in their tea. The vast majority of attendees looked as curious and naive as I was. Without further ado, our hostess began what would be a 2 and half hour tea party....
PART 2 tomorrow...my internet here deleted alot of what i wrote yesterday, but I will send the rest tonight or tomorrow. BISOUS.
Friday, February 6, 2009
A Late Start...
Instead of sending e-mails that seem to always be missing important people in my life on the address list, I've decided to attempt to document the rest of my stay here via blog...I am technologically inept so please excuse any stupid mistakes or messed up URLs or whatever it is that happens when things go wrong.
Instead of discussing what has already happened, I'd rather just start today, February 6th, 2009. Today has probably been my least favorite in this city so far. As many of you know (due to my excessive whining- sorry) I applied for my visa too early since I thought I was coming to Paris in September, before Obama job opp. In my rushed attempt to fix it over the summer, I seem to have really screwed up and accidentally applied for a permanent residence form instead of six month visa. So, I have to get this residence form to legally stay through June, which can only be obtained at the sous-prefecture (the French DMV) that services your area.
I live in Malakoff, a town that is a 30-second walk from the Paris border. Because I am on the wrong side of said border, I have to go to the s-p that services the suburbs, a good hour train ride from me. Joy! My host dad, Bruno, is the nicest man ever and took me there via his motorcycle this morning at 7 AM (sorry mom, I know you are very anti-motorcycle. Just close your eyes for this part.) I know this exposes how very much of a naive, American girl I am, but it was incroyable! genial! magnifique! It was my first moto ride, but I very much hope it isn't my last. My school here made us sign a contract stating we wouldn't drive one because of some student last semester who decided he was Rico Suave and wouldn't wear a helmet...bad news. So I guess I must just find Jean Pierre Jacques, the fantastic french gentleman who also has a motorcycle. Should be easy...
7 HOURS after my arrival at the s-p, I was finally seen. In the meantime, I attempted to become a connoisseur of French candy bars. I bought 5 different ones, some of which were highly suspect. Muesli mix Balistos are about as awful as they sound. I also had 6 50Eurocent cappuccino thingies from the machine. If you haven't yet, please read "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay," the only reason I did not try to hold an unsuspecting French child hostage until the bureau agent agreed to see me.
Of course, this story can only end badly. I got to the window, was told I needed to have my birth certificate translated into French, was told the office did not know where I should go to do that, was told to come back when I had that and wait another 7 hours. Fantastic. In our orientation, our program talked about the different stages of living in another country; Euphoria, Frustration, Hatred, Understanding and Enjoyment. Today I officially moved from euphoria to hatred in no time flat, but Gray Gray saved me with her adorable phone call and amazement at my life here.
And my life is amazing here. Last night, the playwright Israel Horovitz presented in a reading three of his newer short plays at the Village Voice. VV is a tiny American bookstore in the Latin Quarter full of beautiful books and unusual people, and it often hosts readings by authors, playwrights, commentators. Both readings I've gone to, Israel and Junot Diaz, have been cramped and exciting. I'm lucky enough to have found a similarly nerdy but quite fun girl on my program, Rachel. We have lots of mutual friends, and have bonded together in our quest for good food, wine, men and boots. So fair, things are going well on all fronts, although social interactions here among the youth are very different than in America.
In Paris, girls are ice cold. If you, young man, want to meet girl at bar who is cute, tough luck unless you somehow have a mutual friend that can introduce you two. Otherwise, she will completely ignore you regardless of how charming or cute or whatever you are. Similarly, the local girls look at non-local girls (me) as either overly promiscuous or pathetic. Either way, the females very clearly send the message that they have enough friends, thank you. It's silly. And since many of the guys my age still live at home, they are different too. Boys/men here seem to be about 3 years younger than their American counterparts.
This weekend should be fantastique- the weather is getting warmer which means picnics and wine and cheese and dresses. I think I am going to my first Opera, and potentially to see CHE (although it is in spanish with french subtitles, which means I am screwed a bit). BISOUS.
Instead of discussing what has already happened, I'd rather just start today, February 6th, 2009. Today has probably been my least favorite in this city so far. As many of you know (due to my excessive whining- sorry) I applied for my visa too early since I thought I was coming to Paris in September, before Obama job opp. In my rushed attempt to fix it over the summer, I seem to have really screwed up and accidentally applied for a permanent residence form instead of six month visa. So, I have to get this residence form to legally stay through June, which can only be obtained at the sous-prefecture (the French DMV) that services your area.
I live in Malakoff, a town that is a 30-second walk from the Paris border. Because I am on the wrong side of said border, I have to go to the s-p that services the suburbs, a good hour train ride from me. Joy! My host dad, Bruno, is the nicest man ever and took me there via his motorcycle this morning at 7 AM (sorry mom, I know you are very anti-motorcycle. Just close your eyes for this part.) I know this exposes how very much of a naive, American girl I am, but it was incroyable! genial! magnifique! It was my first moto ride, but I very much hope it isn't my last. My school here made us sign a contract stating we wouldn't drive one because of some student last semester who decided he was Rico Suave and wouldn't wear a helmet...bad news. So I guess I must just find Jean Pierre Jacques, the fantastic french gentleman who also has a motorcycle. Should be easy...
7 HOURS after my arrival at the s-p, I was finally seen. In the meantime, I attempted to become a connoisseur of French candy bars. I bought 5 different ones, some of which were highly suspect. Muesli mix Balistos are about as awful as they sound. I also had 6 50Eurocent cappuccino thingies from the machine. If you haven't yet, please read "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay," the only reason I did not try to hold an unsuspecting French child hostage until the bureau agent agreed to see me.
Of course, this story can only end badly. I got to the window, was told I needed to have my birth certificate translated into French, was told the office did not know where I should go to do that, was told to come back when I had that and wait another 7 hours. Fantastic. In our orientation, our program talked about the different stages of living in another country; Euphoria, Frustration, Hatred, Understanding and Enjoyment. Today I officially moved from euphoria to hatred in no time flat, but Gray Gray saved me with her adorable phone call and amazement at my life here.
And my life is amazing here. Last night, the playwright Israel Horovitz presented in a reading three of his newer short plays at the Village Voice. VV is a tiny American bookstore in the Latin Quarter full of beautiful books and unusual people, and it often hosts readings by authors, playwrights, commentators. Both readings I've gone to, Israel and Junot Diaz, have been cramped and exciting. I'm lucky enough to have found a similarly nerdy but quite fun girl on my program, Rachel. We have lots of mutual friends, and have bonded together in our quest for good food, wine, men and boots. So fair, things are going well on all fronts, although social interactions here among the youth are very different than in America.
In Paris, girls are ice cold. If you, young man, want to meet girl at bar who is cute, tough luck unless you somehow have a mutual friend that can introduce you two. Otherwise, she will completely ignore you regardless of how charming or cute or whatever you are. Similarly, the local girls look at non-local girls (me) as either overly promiscuous or pathetic. Either way, the females very clearly send the message that they have enough friends, thank you. It's silly. And since many of the guys my age still live at home, they are different too. Boys/men here seem to be about 3 years younger than their American counterparts.
This weekend should be fantastique- the weather is getting warmer which means picnics and wine and cheese and dresses. I think I am going to my first Opera, and potentially to see CHE (although it is in spanish with french subtitles, which means I am screwed a bit). BISOUS.
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