Really Learning About Paris

I’ve decided to stop naming the entries by days because as time progresses it will remind me of how few days I have left in Paris and I don’t want to think of that!

This week was supposed to be the first week of real class for me. Monday morning I woke up prepared for three hours of class. I went to the Sorbonne and went into a beautiful lecture hall expecting to be in my class on the History of Contemporary North America. I sat down alone and listened to all the French students chatting while waiting for the professor. The professor entered and told us that we had to have our Student ID cards verified so everyone exited the classroom. While waiting to go back in I heard some students talking about how much they had studied and whether they thought the exam would be difficult. I was thoroughly confused and scared. Finally I approached one of them and said in French “I’m a foreign student and I’m a little confused. Is this an exam?” When he replied “Oui?” with a puzzled look, I asked when this semester’s classes start and he told me not until next week. This did not really surprise me because the university system is disorganized and my program had been told that classes started this week, but in this country things change all the time.

I returned home having most of the day free so I called one of my friends who lives in the same area. We decided we would do some sightseeing. We met at Trocadero which is directly across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower. I forgot my camera so I don’t have pictures, but it was overcast so I can wait to take pictures on a day when it is sunny. We decided to walk along the Seine, then down some beautiful streets, and we decided we would walk around and visit different monuments. Our first stop was the Eiffel Tower which had a banner on it that said “It’s Not Too Late – Greenpeace.” I later read that “Greenpeace militants” had put the banner there without permission and it was taken down later that night. Here is a link with a picture and a brief explanation <http://fr.news.yahoo.com/29012007/74/photo/greenpeace-activists-display-banners-one-showing-a-thermometer-on-the.html>. We walked around the Parc du Champ Mars which is the park surrounding the Eiffel Tower. Then we went to Les Invalides and the gardens around it. Then we crossed the Seine and walked down the Champs Elysées. Two funny things happened on this road. First a woman approached us and said “Do you speak English?” I realized she was a asking for money because I have fallen for that trick before and I continued to walk, but I didn’t realize that my friend stopped and talked to her. Finally she met back up with me and said “That woman was from Bolivia and that’s where I was born.” I replied, “Do you believe she is from Bolivia? Do you think she speaks BOLIVIAN?” I realized immediately that I had misspoken but my friend called me an idiot, but I responded that she was the idiot for stopping to talk. She said it was my fault for not warning her and I said I was experienced with this thing because in Rome I got taken by a guy who tied a string around my finger and then demanded money. We were both extremely tired at this point because we had walked about 5 miles so we decided to stop for some ice cream. We stopped at McDonalds! I didn’t want to, but I did enjoy my McFlurry. We then walked to the Arc de Triomphe and turned off back into our neighborhood and that was the end of our adventure.

I returned home exhausted and didn’t do much until dinner with my family. We had a nice dinner, but the wine and cheese was incredible. It was only my host dad and me eating and drinking because my host mom didn’t feel well. He continued his tradition of pouring a lot of wine and of serving the most delicious cheese I have ever eaten. It is called Vacherin from Mont d’Or and it is only made from the late fall through the winter. You have to use a spoon because it is so rich and creamy it is almost a liquid. Here is some information about it http://www.frencheese.co.uk/cheeses/detail-cheeses.php We finished a bottle and a half of the delicious Bordeaux from his wine cellar and the cheese, then he said that he wanted to take me on a night tour of Paris. So we got in the car (even after all the wine) and he took me around the entire city. We drove down what he said is the nicest street in the entire city (Avenue Foch). Then we proceeded down the Champs Elysées to a street with part of the American Embassy, the Israeli Embassy, the Presidential mansion, and other heavily guarded places. We stopped at points and walked around and he drove slowly even when the traffic on the street was going very fast just to show me the details of what he was talking about. We drove through the Louvre, he showed me the building that the White House is a copy of, and we saw all of the famous sights and more. I learned a lot and saw so much. Everything was so beautiful at night and he is very knowledgeable about the history of the different areas. Also I saw some places I would have never even known about. When we returned home I was so tired I went right to sleep.

Tuesday I woke up at noon feeling very refreshed. I actually had class so I made myself some lunch and went to my first class with the EDUCO program. The professor is from Emory and is an expert on Theatre. With the class we have seven trips to the various performances throughout the semester. The class will involve some work, but it will be cool to go to the theatre. After class I went back to one of my friend’s apartments and four of us made dinner together. It was fun and afterwards we met up with more people and went to a bar a few blocks from my house. Then, we went to an Irish pub for a few hours and had a blast. I got home late and had to wake up early for a class.

On Wednesday morning I had Sociology. I don’t know if I am taking the class or not because I would prefer to take the history class at the Sorbonne instead, but I sat in on the class in case the other one doesn’t work out. Then some of my friends went to a Thai restaurant for lunch and hung out for a while. My friend who I walked with on Monday and I decided to walk home from the 5^th Arrondissement. It was a long walk but once again I was able to see beautiful parts of the city. First we got Crepes with Nutella and Banana to give us energy for the walk. They were incredible! Then we started our journey. We started in the Luxembourg gardens, then we proceeded to the Louvre, from there we walked through the Tuileries gardens, through the Place de Concorde where there is a 3,000 year old obelisk from Egypt covered with hieroglyphics, once again we proceeded down the Champs Elysées, this time neither of us stopped when we were asked if we speak English, and finally we headed back to our neighborhood but we took a small detour going down Avenue Foch (the nicest street in Paris). Once again we were both really worn out. The rest of the night I relaxed and prepared for my European Economy class. Today I woke up, had some breakfast, finished my work, had some lunch, and went to class. As soon as I sat down a woman came in and said the class was cancelled for the week! Classes are finished for the week and after dinner tonight I’ll meet up with my friends and begin the party! Au revoir et Bon Weekend!

The Photos I promised from Bourgogne....

Abbaye de Fontenay

Me and some of my friends at the abbey....