Le Bilan

Le bilan is the French way of saying "the evaluation." And I guess I'm at that point now -- time to evaluate this experience, as it's rapidly coming to an end. I'm sorry I haven't been updating as of late, it's been finals week and things have been crazy and I am in fact finishing up my last paper as I procrastinate by writing this. But still, the experience is almost over and it's time to analyze, or at least attempt to, anyways. I know that I'll never fully be able to evaluate or even really put into words this experience, but I'm going to attempt to for you all and my own sanity. First of all, I want to say how amazingly positive this whole semester was. While it obviously took some adjustment time (in terms of getting to know the city, the language barrier, the people on my program) in the beginning, I really feel like I have an an overall extremely positive experience and learned so much. Cliche, perhaps, but I have become so much more comfortable with myself and knowledgeable about such a broader range of subjects. I feel like I am really one of those people now who can talk intelligently about art and ideas and culture and traveling and who knows how to eat at a nice restaurant and live in a city, all things I always wished I was better at. And yes, while I didn't climb any literal mountains this semester or live in a place without running water and/or electricity, I still feel as if I grew as a person in an emotional and academic way. I worked hard this semester -- I wrote papers in French, went to a French school, and gave presentations to native speakers. I feel like I have a much clearer sense of the things that interest me academically and personally, and I have better ideas as to how to pursue those. I also made great strides in the language, and that in itself was a journey all of it's own. I feel like I really know Paris, and am certainly more comfortable with city life, and I made some amazing friends and traveling companions along the way.

It's interesting because I've been talking to a lot of my friends recently about their study abroad programs and they have all used the term "life-changing." Most of them went to third world countries where their experience was uncomfortable and physically difficult, and while they say that every moment of their semester was horrible, looking back on it is awesome and they had a great time and really grew as people. I think for me, this experience was not life-changing but life-cementing. I feel like I really got a better idea of who I am and the things I like to pursue, and while I didn't push myself past my physical boundaries (in terms of staying in a first world country, etc) I still feel like I gained so much other knowledge from this experience and cemented so many skills I thought I had but actually didn't. While I'm jealous that my friends got pushed so far out of their comfort zones, I think that I was able to hone skills that will be useful to me in the future and I got a chance to work on a language I would like to be fluent in, both of which were difficult and challenges in their own way, and I feel like I've become much more comfortable with myself this semester. I loved being in Paris, and I can't wait for when I'll be able to return to this place with people I love and share with them part of this incredible journey.

So yeah! I guess that's it! Thanks all of you for reading this blog and I really hope you enjoyed at least half of what I had say, or just the pure entertainment value of it all. It's been a wonderful journey and I'm sad that it's wrapping up but also excited to return to "real" life and get back to school and fall into my routines again. Again, thanks for being an audience and if you're ever going to Paris -- you know who to call!

Parting shots of Paris.

Paris je t'aime!

Inouïe

Alright, this post is going to be a little different because it's going to be more about Paris and less about me. I know, I know, depressing...but still bear with me. Inouïe in french means "unheard of" or "unprecedented," and so the subject of this post is going to be some of the more rare or unheard of things to do in Paris that I've discovered. I think a lot of people come to Paris and see all the touristy stuff in a couple days -- the Louvre, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, etc. However, then those people come back and are like hmmm I wanna do something less touristy and have no idea where to even begin and so they go to like the Rodin Museum or whatever which (don't get me wrong it's a great museum) is still on the list of larger tourist attractions of Paris. So, I've decided that, having been here for a couple months now, I'm going to try and make a list of top-10 non-tourist things to do in Paris, so that next time you're in Paris or someone asks me to show them the "real" Paris, this list will come in handy. It's a good mix of museums, sites, experiences, and places to eat. Here goes...(also I'm trying out my best guidebook writing style, so no laughing)

1) Couscous at the Grand Mosque
This is a must-do. The largest mosque in Paris also has an amazing restaurant/café attached to it (so French, right?) and there's also a beautiful garden. For a very specific time during the day (I believe it's between 11 and 2) you can eat a meal at the restaurant, which is amazingly decorated with Arabic mosaics and full of couches and big round tables. Get either couscous or tagine, and don't forget to ask them to bring around the dessert platter...delicious North African treats await! For me, this is a prime example of something that's not french and yet so quintessentially Parisian. The Arabic community here is so large and present that eating good couscous has become something that all Parisians do, regardless of heritage.

A little taste of the cafe at the Grand Mosque.

2) Le Procope
This is the oldest café in Paris, and some might argue the world. It was opened in 1694 and Voltaire and Diderot used to frequent it often. It's on the Rue de l'Ancienne Comedie in the 6th arrondissement, and while the menu might be a bit pricey, it's worth it just to go in and have a coffee where Voltaire once did! One of the most magical parts of Paris for me is walking down the same streets that so many famous men and women have, and Le Procope is a prime example of one of those places that just oozes history.
3) Saint Sulpice
This is legitimately one of the weirdest looking churches I have ever seen. It's also located in the 6th, and not only is it just really cool to look at from the outside, but it's also pretty neat inside. It's only a little bit smaller than Notre Dame, and Charles Baudelaire and the Marquis de Sade were baptized inside it. Also, some of the paintings in the side chapels were done by Delacroix. Definitely a cool thing for the art and architecture fans.

Saint-Sulpice...what a crazy looking church!

4) Les Archives
The Archives of Paris are located in a Hotel Particulier (which is like an old urban mansion thing) which is incredibly designed and decorated. Not only that, but they also put up really awesome (free!) exhibits using materials from the archives which are, it goes without saying, incredible records and very well preserved. Even though the words will be in French, it's still neat for the non-French speakers to get as much as one can from the exhibit's visuals. Also, in walking through the building you can see facsimiles of some of the most important documents of French history like the Edict of Nantes and some letters written by Charlemagne.
5) Take a stroll around Montparnasse
I know I already wrote a post about the awesome-ness of Montparnasse, but it really is worth taking a walk around the neighborhood if you're looking for something to do. You can have a coffee at one of the four famous cafés (Le Dome, la Coupole, Le Rotonde, and Le Select) where Hemingway, Picasso, and many others used to go to daily. You can also go to the rue de Campagne Premier and see Man Ray's old studio and right across the Boulevard Raspail you can see Picasso's first studio. Also not to miss is the large sculpture sitting in the middle of the road on the Boulevard Raspail near the Boulevard de Montparnasse...it's a Rodin, Just sitting there, in the middle of the road. So if you REALLY need your Rodin fix...

The hotel where Man Ray and Kiki used to live on the rue Campagne Premier in Montparnasse

6) Watch the sun set from the top of the Centre Pompidou
To be fair, watching the sun set from anywhere in the world is usually a pretty cliched great experience,and the Centre Pompidou is a pretty great building, and so when you mix the two together..! Anyways, not only is this a great museum for art (and a very typical tourist attraction) but if you go to the top floor it presents one of the most amazing views in all of Paris. And when the sun is going down and the Eiffel Tower starts to sparkle...man...
7) Day trip to Chantilly
This is really worth doing if you're looking for an easy day trip from Paris. It's about 25 minutes on the train and you can see an amazing castle in an adorable town. 1000 times less touristy than Versailles, and I would argue just as pretty and easier to do in just one day. Also, the castle houses an amazing museum that has to stay on the premises (as dictated by some guy's will) and so there's three Raphaels and a bunch of other amazing things...definitely worth the trip!

The Chateau at Chantilly!

8) Eat a praluline from Pralus
Ok, I know all I talk about lately is this bread but seriously if you are in Paris YOU MUST TRY IT. It's a life-changing experience...the pink pralines...the hazelnuts...the butter...35 rue Rambuteau. I even have the address memorized. GO.
9) Rue Mouffetard
This is a great street behind the Pantheon that epitomizes a lot of what is great about Paris. There are markets and fromageries (cheese stores) and adorable restaurants and it's where a lot of locals go to shop. Getting stuff for a picnic there would be amazing...you can get a lot of stuff for cheap! Definitely a good way to eat some typically french bread and cheese.
10) Promenade Plantée
This is a little garden on top of some buildings in the 12th arrondissement. It goes for a couple kilometers, I think, and is a great way to get some green stuff into your day. It makes for a really pleasant walk or run and it's also neat to look down off the side and see Paris from a different angle. Also, it's just cool that there's a garden on top of some regular old buildings!

A picture (I did not take) of the Promenade Plantee. Neat, right?

 And so that concludes the list! The next time you're in Paris see if you can check out a couple of these things...I promise it will be worth your while! One of the best things about Paris is that it has so much to offer, from amazing world-renowned museums and sights to just everyday ordinary things that somehow become extraordinary when in this city.

Accro

The term "accro" in French means "to be addicted to," and this post is going to be about all of the food that I am addicted to in France. First of all, I love food. And cooking, and baking, and meal time...everything that comes with food. In fact, I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to food, and more that a few friends have called me out on that in my day. But hey, I like eating well and I like being healthy and I like things that are delicious, sooo it's definitely not something I apologize for too often. Let me start off by saying that anyone who knows anything about food knows that French food is really good. However, I want to clarify a few things. A lot of people seem confused as to what actually constitutes French food. They have vague ideas of snails and French fries, but apart from that they are at a loss as to what a typical French meal would look like. My answer to whenever people ask me the question, "What exactly is French food?" is always, "Anything just done really well." And I think that's true! The French make amazing hamburgers, salads, sandwiches, fish...vegetables...everything! I believe that the heart of what makes French food so good is that it is prepared with fresh ingredients that are 100% real -- none of this I can't believe it's not butter nonsense or skim milk -- the French are gonna put real cream and real butter into whatever they're making, and it's going to taste delicious. Also, the French reverence for meal time also makes the food delicious. Sitting down and enjoying a three course meal over the course of three hours feels indulgent and so you enjoy and indulge in your food. Also, French food isn't stuffed onto plates the size of flying saucers and previewed by the omnipresent salad and breaksticks combo (Can't you just taste my hatred of Olive Garden?), it's served in reasonable portions that are filling but not overwhelming, so you don't leave the table feeling like a stuffed sausage.
I absolutely love the French way of eating. I never feel disgustingly full, I never leave the table craving more, and I never have to go without dessert! It's the best! However, there are a couple dishes that have really stood out to me during my time in France, and so read on if your mouth is watering and you want to hear more!
1) Cassoulet. Cassoulet is a stew-type dish from the south of France usually made with beans and meat. Imagine your mom's best crockpot dish on steroids. It's incredibly filling and when served with a side of delicious baguette and Camembert it really cannot be equaled. I've also had the privilege of eating a fish cassoulet, which was a creamy version filled with chunks of white fish and vegetables with a puff-pastry crust on top...yum yum yum.

A typical cassoulet.

2) I am also a huge fan of Raclette. Raclette is one of those hands-on type dishes (much like hot-pot or fondue or Mongolian bbq aka one of my favorite things) that involves melting cheese and pouring it over potatoes. Sounds like it couldn't get better? Well then you get to grill different kinds of meat (like salami, prosciutto, etc)and put that on top.

This makes it look very technical and complicated but I swear this is good, clean, delicious fun!

3) Praluline from Pralus. This is a type of bread that I was introduced to last night that is specific to this bakery in Paris (Pralus) that is conveniently right around the corner from my apartment. It's essentially a challah-type bread with pink pralines mixed in (and of course a lot of butter) and it is to die for. Amazing served warm or cool, and I think this might be one of the best breads I've had while here in France.

Is that bread or...heaven?!

4) Salade de Chevre-Chaud. This might be my all-time favorite french meal. It's a salad served with slices of warn goat cheese on toast drizzled with honey and balsamic vinegar dressing. There were a couple days at the beginning of my stay where I had this at every meal. Every day. It's that good.

A very simple Salade de Chevre Chaud...but delicious nonetheless.

 5) Moelleux au Chocolat. This is essentially the french version of the chocolate lava cake. It can also go by the alias of "Fondant au Chocolat" or "Mi-cuit" (which means half cooked). Imagine a brownie filled with brownie batter, then warm. Are you dying yet? It's definitely my favorite dessert in France, and while I've tried many from many bakeries and restaurants all around, I have to say that Monoprix makes a dang good one for 2 euros and when heated up in the microwave it's just as good as any fancy one from an expensive store.

This picture conveys about 1/100th the actual deliciousness.

So, that's my attempt at a summary of my favorite foods here! Of course there are others and I could write pages about the amazing meals I've eaten, but I feel so lucky to be studying abroad in a country where the food is good and an important part of life. In fact, this week I'm having my friends over to eat some Ratatouille -- I got a really easy recipe from one of our program directors and have decided to try and make it this week to see what happens! I think I'll probably serve it with quinoa and a fresh baguette and goat cheese, and assuming I don't mess up the recipe TOO much, maybe I'll still have friends by the end of the night!

Polyglotte

Une polyglotte is the french word for someone who speaks more than 2 languages. Being in France and working on  my french has made me realize how important it is to me that I learn as many languages as I can -- I love studying them and I really believe in the importance of being able to communicate and being a world citizen. Also, it's just interesting! Today my friend invited me to a lecture at the American University in Paris to listen to a presentation by a man who is a scholar/translator of Samuel Beckett. Now, I'm in a class right now and we've read two plays by Beckett - En attendant Godot (I'm sure you can guess that one) and Fin de Partie (Endgame). When I first saw those plays on our reading list, I have to say I was a little disappointed. I'd never read either of them before the class, and I was a little bummed to be reading plays that were written in English in French, as 1) I'm sure to not understand them as well and 2) that's not the original language the author wrote them in. BUT I WAS WRONG! Samuel Beckett originally wrote both of those plays in French, and then only later after they were successful did he translate them into English. Who knew? I mean, another great thing about learning languages is that it really opens up the realm of literature that is available to you, because there really is nothing like reading "Le Petit Prince" in French, or any of the other various books/plays, etc that have been translated from French into English.

Just some random pictures of this beautiful city.

Anyway, so this lecture today was fascinating. Here's the summary that was posted on the website, just to give you a general idea of the topic: At the invitation of the Center for Writers & Translators and the Masters in Cultural Translation, André Topia will speak of his experience of translating Volume I of The Letters of Samuel Beckett into French for forthcoming publication by Gallimard. “Horrible langue que je sais encore trop bien” is how Beckett described his own native language, English, in which he was finding it hard to write. In fact, our professor had told us that Beckett strongly believed that literature should be written in a language other than one's native tongue. He felt that you never really "hear" your native language any more, and so lose some of the nuances and poetry that make it great. All this combined with the problem of then translating his works back into English..and then this lecture guy's job is translating Beckett's personal correspondence into French! Needless to say, I was very excited to go.
The AUP center is located behind an old church in the 7eme, and I got there a bit early and waited for my friend. It was held in a small room around a table, which made for a really nice, intimate setting...although let's be honest so did the delicious free quiche and cookies. Anyway, so the man introduced himself and pretty much just started talking about the topic. It turns out that Beckett knew a lot of languages and loved using each of them to manipulate what he wanted to say. He wrote in German, Italian, French (and various french dialects) and English. His letters to people are filled with really obscure words and some that he's even made up to suit his own purposes -- like "kranky" -- which apparently takes the k from German to make a word that means essentially the English "cranky" but with more anger. So, the more the man explained his job the more complicated it started sounding...it was basically his job to take everything Beckett wrote privately and translate it into a language he (Beckett) deliberately did not choose to write in. M. Topia also discussed a bit the differences between English and French, which were really interesting to hear coming from someone who's an expert on the topic. Apparently, English is a much more nuanced, poetic, and subtle language -- you can say anything at least two different ways in English -- which he explained is due to the way the English language was formed -- half of our words come from the Anglo-Saxon languages of before 1066, while the other half come from French and Latin words that were brought over after the Norman invasion. French, on the other hand, is very repetitive and a lot of English terms don't translate (let alone Beckett's terms). M. Topia used the example of "editor." The french don't make a distinction between the words "editor" and "publisher", and so when Beckett talks about his editors in his letters, it's the translator's job to figure out exactly what to do with that. The whole thing seems like kind of an impossible job to me, but also one that I imagine would be very mentally stimulating and puzzle-like, at times.

Nothing to do with the post, but still a good shot.

The most fascinating part, though, was hearing Topia discuss the differences between the French and English languages. I struggle all the time with "translating" what I want to say in English into French because there are so many expressive subtleties that can't be translated. Also, being someone who has a fairly extensive vocabulary (I don't mean to brag but you know I get those Word of the Day emails yuppp) it gets difficult to express exactly what I want to say (in the English sense) in the French sense. I've definitely learned while here to rely less on thinking of what I want to say in English and then translating it in my head into French and more on just thinking in French. Topia also used the example of the word "quip." There is no french equivalent, and that just shocks me! So then if I wanted to say that someone "quipped wittily", I wouldn't be able to in that exact sense. So I'd have to change what I wanted to say which changes how I communicate with someone. I guess I had never really though about the inability of things to be translated before, and how crazy it is that our native language affects us so much. Honestly, the whole thing kind of vindicated my feelings about how hard it is to learn French (or any language!) and brought up a ton of questions about translating things in general. How difficult! (Thank god for people like M. Topia). And just think of how that translates (haha) to our world and communication between people who speak different languages...it blows my mind. And all because of some Irish author who thought English was too "easy."

Montparnasse

The courtyard of Reid Hall

I am really lucky that my program center is located in the the center of Paris -- at the bottom of the 5th arrondissement in a neighborhood called Montparnasse. Montparnasse is perhaps most well known for being the home of most (if not all) of the artists who lived in Paris during the 1920s. In French, these years all called "Les Annees Folles" -- the crazy years -- our equivalent of the term "Roaring 20s." Anyways, my program center is located in a building called Reid Hall (yep also my dad's name - Hi dad!) which is on the rue de Chevreuse right off the boulevard de Montparnasse. Reid Hall used to be a French duke's hunting home, because back in the day it sat right on the outskirts of Paris next to the Bois de Boulogrne, a big forest. Now, of course, it's pretty much the center of the Rive Gauche (left bank) lifestyle, but it's heyday was most certainly the 1920s. Pretty much everyone from Picasso to Man Ray to Hemingway to Gertrude Stein lived in this neighborhood, and just walking around you can look up at walls and see plaques saying things like "This was the home of Andre Breton" (founder of Surrealism) or "Here lived Pablo Picasso." Pretty neat. Near the beginning of the semester, I read Hemingway's A Movable Feast and although I love Hemingway, I found the book even more interesting because he would talk about street names I knew and walked down every day! He talked about the four famous cafes - Le Dome, La Coupole, Le Rotund, and Le Select that surround the Vavin metro station and were where all those famous artists went to discuss their work, and the Closerie des Lilas which was his favorite cafe -- one I walk by every day! It was so neat to be able to read this book and understand all of the references he was making and all of the places he was naming.

The grave of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean Paul Sartre in the Montparnasse Cemetary

Picasso's first studio in Paris

My French class here has been loosely structured around the history and culture of Montparnasse during the 20s and each person had to do a 30 minute oral presentation about one of the artists of that time who lived in the neighborhood. Mine was on Man Ray, the famous American photographer who did "The Ingres Violin" and who's muse was Kiki de Montparnasse, the famous singer/dancer/artist's model who ruled the area during that time. Some other ones were Alberto Giacometti, Guillaume Apollinaire, Jean Cocteau, and Josephine Baker. Our teacher (this hilarious, tiny Parisienne) is really passionate and knowledgeable about the subject and took us on a walk of the neighborhood today to point out some of the interesting/historical sights. We started at La Coupole -- one of the famous cafes where these artistic greats came to talk, write, and eat great food. We got coffee and took a tour around the art-deco interior, with original paintings done by the famous artists still on the pillars. We continued on to the Montparnasse Cemetary where Man Ray, Samuel Beckett, Charles Baudelaire, Marguerite Duras and many others a buried, and then walked around and looked at artist's studios (including Picasso's first one!) and the buildings where Man Ray, Tristan Tsara, and Rainer Maria Rilke lived. It was so cool to be taken around by someone who knows the area and all of its secrets! Mme Ricci (our teacher) was also really good about casually waiting outside these famous buildings until someone with the code to get in or out would pass through, and then we would pounce on the open door and walk in to the courtyard to get a better look! Apparently one day she waited outside Picasso's studio for four hours until someone with the code walked in -- she looked over his shoulder and got the code and now, voila! access to Picasso's studio. Love it.

The Tour de Montparnasse - half covered by fog on a cloudy day.

Anyway, Montparnasse is such a fascinating neighborhood, and I'm so lucky that I get to go there practically every day. It's a surreal feeling to be walking around knowing that famous artists and writers and thinkers walked these same streets and saw these same buildings every day. Granted, the neighborhood has definitely cahnged since the 20s - there's a train station now and Western Europe's largest skyscraper -- the Tour de Montparnasse. It's an ugly thing, alright, but you can go up to the top of it (it's something like 200m tall) and get an amazing view of Paris. Well worth the 8 euros it cost to go up!

The amazing view of Paris from the top of the Tour de Montparnasse!

Dithyrambique

Une dithyrambique is the french word for a long, elegiac speech. It's the title of this post because it's been awhile since I last posted and I want to update everyone on what's been happening. Essentially, I've been very, very busy. Schoolwork combined with trips and visitors to Paris has made these last couple weeks completely insane, but a good kind of insane. It's always fun getting to take trips and see new places, and I also love it when people come to Paris and I get to show them around this amazing city. In doing the traveling that I have been doing (visiting friends on their various study-abroad programs in Prague and London) I've gotten a chance (actually, two chances) to see other programs, other cities, and how other people approach study abroad. It's been fascinating! It has made me realize how well I know Paris and how comfortable I feel in this city -- I can get anywhere I need to be on a daily basis without a problem, and if someone gives me an address I don't know, I can usually get myself at least to that neighborhood without a map. I walk everywhere in Paris, for four reasons. One is that the first day of orientation my program handed out "Pass Navigos" to everyone, which is essentially like a frequent user card that you stock up at the beginning of the month and use to take public transportation everywhere. Except for some reason they were three short and so (of course) me and two other people didn't get them. They made it seem like it would be no problem to just hop into the nearest metro station and get one (it's free), but I was jetlagged and sick of French bureaucracy and you couldn't do it at the metro station near my apartment so I was just like, "Whatever, I'll figure this out another time." Anddd I just never did...So while that reason may be out of laziness, the other three are legit. The first being that I don't want to be 300 pounds from eating French food and walking keeps me in shape, and the second is that a monthly pass is expensive and I'd rather spend that money on, say, food. Or clothes. And the last reason is that walking is the best way to see the city and get a sense of it. It's honestly been the best thing for allowing me to get acquainted with the city because I get to explore different neighborhoods on the way to different events, I get to see streets and different times and in different conditions (yes, I walk even when it's raining - that's what rainboots are for!) and I get to feel like I'm a part of the city. Sometimes it's annoying because it takes me 40 minutes to get to class, but at the end of the day I'm always happy I walked when I could have taken the metro, not least because it's frequently late/really hot or the frenchies are striking (comme d'habitude - like always).

A guy doing tricks with a soccer ball on top of a lamp post in Montmartre. Only in Paris.

Yeah, I live here.

Anyways, besides giving me the opportunity to congratulate myself on how well I know the city, having friends here also gives me a chance to fall in love with Paris all over again. Watching them sit down to eat their first french meal at an adorable local restaurant or bite into their first crepe on the street or watching their faces when they are face-to-face with Notre Dame is always so rewarding! I love watching people fall in love with this place. Recently, my dear friend Ali came and visited me -- she's doing a Fullbright teaching English in Turkey for the year. I had been bugging her to come visit me because I really wanted to see her, and while we were talking about buying tickets she said, "You know Hannah, Paris just isn't on my list of top destinations to go to." I WAS SHOCKED. Who doesn't want to go to Paris? There are frustrated middle-aged housewives all over the US who would die for a chance to come to the most romantic city in the world and gourmands across the world who would kill to eat the food I eat every day. But Ali being Ali, she'd rather go hiking in Jordan or see the Nile River. And not that those aren't things I want to do as well, but Paris is Paris. Ali continued the sentence with saying how much she wanted to see me and what an amazing experience it would be to see Paris with someone who knows the city, but after hearing about her initial hesitance I was determined to show her Paris in all it's glory. And I did, because honestly, who can resist Paris? Try and try as one might, I think Ali fell for it somewhere between her first macaron and hot chocolate at Angelina -- so thick it's like drinking liquid fudge. That combined with exploring the Musee D'Orsay and the Eiffel Tower at night and I think the girl was hooked. Upon leaving she told me Paris was "incredible" and "magical" and that she never thought she'd fall in love with it the way she did. I told her I knew she would because honestly, we all have.

Ali in front of Val de Grace - loving every minute of it!

C'est la lose!

Well this week has been a bummer. As the French would say, "C'est la lose!" A great expression because it's got an English word (lose) that's been completely french-ified. Basically it's like saying, "It's the worst!" or "What a drag!" and it's another great expression I picked up at frisbee. Gotta love those girls.It has been "la lose" because I really haven't been doing anything besides homework this week. But after all I suppose this is STUDY abroad and I wouldn't want, say, my parents to think that I'm just here HANGING OUT. God forbid. Anyways, so I figured this would be a good time to talk a little bit about my academic life here. I'm taking four classes -- three through Sarah Lawrence and one through a French university (Paris VII Diderot), although honestly you might as well add "Discovering Paris 101: City Life in the City of Light" to that course list, because living in a city and absorbing everything it has to offer (or trying to!) is at least the equivalent of a full-time course. Except that the homework is more fun.
Basically, I'm taking a French language class, an architecture class, and a theatre class through my program. All my classes here are in french, and they all meet once a week for two hours (except for the French class which meets twice a week for two hours and the architecture class which has extra field trips!). However on top of that, Sarah Lawrence has these things called tutorials (or "tutorats" en francais) that mandate a half-hour individual meeting with each professor once every other week. Add those into my schedule and I'm in class quite a bit! I must say that while the tutorial system is sometimes annoying if you don't have questions, usually I have to prepare a one-page paper for each session in which I can summarize what I've learned and/or ask any questions that I have, and on top of that we can discuss any big papers I'm working on. This week I had three papers due -- one on the architecture of the Louvre (5 pages), one on causal expressions for French (4 pages), and one on an analysis of a monologue from Corneille's play Horace (7 pages). So basically I've been writing a lot and since I am in Paris after all, I naturally left them all to the last minute so I could do things like go to the movies last week and eat out and so I could travel in Burgundy this weekend, which was such a good decision! However in spending Monday, Tuesday, AND Wednesday now churning out papers, I'm getting ready for this week to be over.
Perhaps the most frustrating thing about writing papers here is that access to a library is incredibly difficult. It's not because there aren't plenty of them, it's just that each one I've come across has something that makes it a huge pain in the butt to deal with. First I tried the Bibliothèque Saint-Genviève, an amazing old building next to the Pantheon that my program got us library cards to and gave us a tour. However, this lovely library houses 95% of its collections below ground, and getting a book involved looking it up on the computer, swiping a card, and the waiting 20 minutes. Of course, then I couldn't figure out how to return the book and so I was THAT PERSON asking the information desk like the most basic question ever. Also this library allows you only 2 breaks while you are there -- for bathrooms and everything -- and you have to swipe your card each time you go out. One break is 20 minutes and the other is an hour, and if you are 1 minute late the library won't let you back in. Craziness! Obviously, that system wasn't going to work for me and so I went on to discover new and better libraries.

Bibliothèque Saint-Geneviève! What an amazing interior, in fact it's about as user-friendly as it is ugly. That is to say, not at all.

The next one I tried was the library at the Centre Pompidou -- which had the two criteria I was now looking for -- books above ground and a brochure in English. Success! Also free wifi (not the case at Saint-Geneviève) and a travel time of 7 minutes! I went in one day and was absolutely enchanted: you can learn languages for free in special booths! Everything is well-organized and brightly lit! There are nice librarians who don't look scary! However, all good things must come to an end and unfortunately many other people have also discovered how awesome this library is and so it gets packed. There are only 2100 spots and after they're all filled...bummer for you. Gotta wait outside in a line that gets to be hundreds of people long during prime hours. Luckily there's a webcam online so you can check out what the line looks like before going over there...but still. Not exactly convenient when you need to work. Also it closes at 9:45. What kind of self-respecting college student gets any work done before 9:45 pm? Come on.

The Bibliothèque Publique d'Information at the Centre Pompidou. So modern!

Another thing that should be said about both the aforementioned libraries is that you can't check books out. Yep. Not allowed. So if you want to do research, you have to stay there until everything is done because you can't just take it home and do it in your bed or at your own desk with a cup of tea in your sweatpants. Makes me miss America...we love you Ben Franklin!

MY HERO.

Anyway, so the requisite for the third library was one that would let me check books out (starting to feel a little bit like Goldilocks and the three libraries right about now...), because sometimes a girl wants to do work late at night in her pjs at her own gosh-darn desk. Apparently there aren't very many of those in Paris, but I did manage to hear about one called the Bibliothèque Forney which is an arts library located pretty close to my house which has a section of books you can check out! So I meandered over there yesterday and encountered my fair share of french bureaucracy (but what else is new. C'est la lose!). So I walked in and said I wanted a library card. The woman made me fill out a form and then asked me if I had a photo. Nope, not on me. So she told me to head on up and make a copy of whatever form of i.d. I had and we could use that. Sooo I went upstairs (the library is inside an old castle!) and found the copy machine. But ohooo you have to buy a card to use the copy machine, of course. So eventually I made my copy and then briefly checked out the library catalog to see if they had any books on the topic I was researching (the Haussmannization of Paris). Yes! They did! However nowhere on the page was there listed any way to actually find them in the library. Hmmm. So I went up and asked a librarian who kindly told me that I had to fill out a card and bring it to another desk where they would take it and go find the book for me and bring it back to me. Jeez louise. Not even as hi-tech as Saint-Genevieve where I could at least do the whole thing on the computer. So I filled out the forms and went downstairs to hand the woman my papers BUT OF COURSE I needed to have my card done first. So, I went back downstairs, gave the woman my photo and she made me a card, which literally consisted of her sticking this photo on a piece of plastic and hand-writing my name on it in Sharpie. I'm sorry, are we in the 1800s?! So once that was done I went upstairs, gave the woman the papers AND my card and she went and got the books. Then I went back downstairs and checked them out. What a hassle.

Inside the Bibliothèque Forney

Outside the Bibliothèque Forney. No joke.

I guess I'm just extremely spoiled by the libraries I have had growing up with and especially the one at Grinnell where everyone speaks English (well, no surprise there), where there are thousands of documents at my disposal (above ground! where I can see them!) and it's 5 minutes away and stays open til 1 am. THE BEST. Also they serve milk and cookies every night during finals week and there are big treehouse things you can study in and beanbag chairs and little individual study nooks where you can leave your computer out and it won't get stolen.

Burling Library in Grinnell, IA. Home sweet home.

Studying in the towers! Many a long evening has been spent there...

Also this whole thing has made me realize how important "efficiency" and "convenience" are for me (and all Americans), especially in terms of doing work and studying, and how that's just different over here. Also the idea of a "library" means something completely new here which I'm just not familiar with. And after all, while writing papers may be "la lose", learning new stuff about the library system here and doing research for my papers isn't. And I got to see so many new cool places that only locals really see, and that in itself is worth the hassle of getting cards and waiting in line and not understanding the french equivalent of the Dewey Decimal system. Although to be honest I wouldn't even know if it was the same because I couldn't tell you how that works in America either.

Foncer sur

The first week I arrived in Paris, I was walking around with my roommate when we came across the strangest thing: we couldn't cross the street because of a huge crowd of rollerbladers skating down the street -- there must have been thousands of them! We waited a good ten minutes for all of them to pass, and even though it appeared that the whole street had been shut down to let them pass (no cars, nothing) we didn't dare to step out into the street because they were coming so quickly and there were so many of them that it was pretty much as if there were still cars driving by. Anyway, I managed to get a glimpse of a t-shirt that read "Rollers et Coquillages" Staff, and so immediately proceeded to go home and Google it. Rollers is the french term for rollerblading, so for example if you wanted to say you rollerskated you would say "J'ai fait du roller." And coquillages is the french word for seashell! I have no idea what that has to do with anything, but bear with me. Anyways, so I discovered that every Sunday, this group organizes a rollerskating outing in Paris! It's basically a three hour "hike" type thing, from one end of Paris to the other, on rollerskates. Now before I go any further, I must admit that I have this weird fantasy of myself being really good at rollerskating. Last year, I bought myself a pair online (white with pink wheels!) and proceeded to practice around Grinnell for about a month before moving on to something else, but I've never quite lost the dream of being in roller derby or something of the sort à la Ellen Page in Whip It or casually being able to rollerskate to class and walk in, skates slung over one shoulder. So basically, I thought I could take on this rollerblading thing no problemo, and even convinced my two good friends to join me.

The picture from the first time I saw Rollers et Coquillages!

So we showed up at the meeting place, conveniently located outside a skate shop where you can rent rollerblades for 9 euros. Excellent. We rented our blades and immediately upon putting them on I re-realized just how difficult it is to...you know...balance/stop/control oneself on rollerblades. One of my friends had apparently skated a lot as a kid and knew what she was doing, while the other one had literally never skated before. I'm somewhere in between, but with the added hurdle of a lot of pride/this fantasy of being rollerskating-girl-to-the-stars. We halfheartedly practiced our breaking skills for about five minutes before deciding that running into things was most definitely the best way to stop going forward. That will come into play later, I promise. As we were waiting around to get going we got handed free t-shirts from this group raising awareness about psoriasis -- my first t-shirt in French! So cool. We put them on and then...we began! Basically the group that organizes this leads a huge pack of rollerbladers (on the website it says that in the summer they can get around 20,000, but I'm guessing that on Sunday there were only a couple thousand) through Paris on a specified route. There are some policemen on rollerblades too who skate ahead and stop traffic/pedestrians so everyone can skate through without worrying about other hazards. So well organized!

About halfway through the journey

My friend and I rollerblading in front of the Eiffel Tower!

Anyways, so things started out great for my friends and I. Besides from the whole not-being able to stop thing (which had yet to be necessary), I was really getting the hang of it and feeling pretty well on my way to becoming a roller derby all-star. Except for the shin splints. And the sweating (who knew? It's exercise!). And the fear/embarrassment of falling at any moment. And then we hit the cobblestones. These would reappear a couple times throughout the journey in various roundabouts in Paris, and let me tell you -- there is nothing more difficult than rollerblading on cobblestones. And then we had to stop -- aka I had to run into curbs/cars/other people before finally figuring out how to sort-of break. And then we had to go down hills -- aka I had to hold onto staff members so I wouldn't get crazy out of control and die. And then up hills -- let me tell you how much my legs hurt today...SO MUCH. And then I was at the end of the group with staff people yelling "Go!" "Push!" "Roule!" (Roll!) at me so that I wouldn't hold back the entire group. And then there was that time where I was going a liittlleee too fast down the hill and grabbed onto a parked car to slow me down while my friend (in an attempt to also stop) literally flung herself onto a car and flopped around like a rag doll before getting up (to the many helpful arms of other, more competent rollerbladers) and yelling "I'm fine! I'm fine!" We laughed about it the rest of the whole three hours. 26 kilometers. From Bastille to Trocadero and back, for those of you who are familiar with Paris. And that is where today's vocab comes in -- foncer sur means pretty much "to crash into" or "to pounce on" in French, both of which I did a lot of during the whole rollerblading experience, much to my chagrin and all of Paris' amusement.
It was, in short, one of the most difficult sporting experiences I've ever had in my life, and I am proud to say that I finished dead last. Yep, last of probably 3000 people -- but the staff members at the back with me laughed about it, gave me a flyer for free lessons (maybe my dreams will come true after all!), and congratulated me on finishing. Then there was the nice man who helped me down the last hill, and the nice lady who showed me how to break. My friends were a little bit astounded that they went along with the whole thing, and so afterwards we treated ourselves to a delicious dinner on the Ile-Saint-Louis and some Bertillon ice cream. And after that, one friend and I went and saw a German film with French subtitles and relished just sitting down for two hours after an exhausting day. All in all, it was a tiring, difficult experience that was totally worth it -- from the time we rounded that corner and saw the Eiffel Tower to the time I made it down a hill myself to the time that I didn't fall on the cobblestones (that was actually two times!). Although my dreams of roller-derbying may have been forever extinguished, I'm really glad I can say that not only have I rollerbladed though Paris, but I rollerbladed for 26 kilometers and FINISHED.

Back / Side

You may be looking at the title of this post and thinking well jeez, I thought the whole point of this blog was to discuss new french vocabulary, learn some new french sayings, and keep Hannah on track, you know. But those words...those are English! And that brings me to the subject of this post -- English in France by way of discussing ultimate frisbee. One of the strange things about being in France is the amount of English words that have slipped into the French language, but have become to ingrained that one may as well be speaking french while saying them. A good example: if you walk into a bar and say "Je voudrais un cocktail" and pronounce cocktail like you would in English, the bartender will look at you funny and have no idea what you're asking for, even though the first three words you used were french. However, if you walk into a bar and say "Je voudrais un cocktail" in your best french accent (making it more like COQUE-tale) then the bartender will smile at you and hand you a martini or whatever it is you specify you would like. One of the weird things about speaking French here is that sometimes I won't know a word and will ask someone to translate for me and it'll turn out that it's the same word in English, just said with a french accent. I'm always a littlleee disappointed when this happens, though. It's like hello, I'm trying to learn a NEW language here! Alas.
Anyways, so the place where this english-ization has come up the most is during frisbee. I joined a club team here and practice with the women on Monday nights and sometimes go to co-ed pickup on Wednesdays, and the people are a real mish-mash of French, British, Australian, ex-pats, and American students studying abroad. Since Ultimate is really an American sport but we happen to be in France, the language that gets spoken is a strange mix of the two. For example, in America, we say "forehand" and "backhand" for the two main throws. In France, they are called "side" and "back." There are a million other little examples of this (my favorite is when they just say "eye contact!" -- which appears to be a phrase used in french made of solely english words), and one of the best parts about going to practice is that I'm constantly picking up on subtle vocabulary differences. Also, it's one of the only times during my week where I am immersed in colloquial french -- not the classroom/formal language of professors, but real, live French people! However the amount of English being spoken is enough that I never feel completely lost in terms of what we're actually practicing. I mean, it's not like these women are "speaking" English, but the words/vocabulary being used are so frequently the same in English ultimate-speak that I'm never that far behind what's going on.

Google Maps view of the Stade Charlety (That little dark-green part of a field on the left is where we practice!)

Also, it's been so nice to meet real French women who love ultimate! Sonya, one of the captains, has been playing ultimate for 15 years and has jerseys from literally all over the world. So far I've seen some from Colombia, Russia, Germany, and Canada. She also has a lovely habit of saying "Namaste" instead of "Bonjour" or "Salut" and then making all the American students (there are 4 of us) practice our "bises" or cheek-kisses with her. SO FRENCH. Also, tonight was the first time I made a joke in French! That's a big deal, because usually I'm just too nervous about what's actually coming out of my mouth to try and be funny, but tonight the timing was right and I was throwing with Bérénice (and man she is ALL about throwing it as hard as she can without any regard for you catching it) and I made a joke about the wind! In french! It was great. She laughed. Also it's awesome to hear cheers of "Allez les filles!" (go girls!) at practice or to take some time to watch the "mecs" (dudes) scrimmage. All in all, I'm really glad I've found a place to play frisbee here not just so that I have a place to run around (so necessary for my mental and physical health) or so that I can keep up my skills (I'm coming for you soon [stickies]!) but also a place where I can hear more French, speak more French and meet more French people, even if it is laced with American ultimate lingo.

Une colline

"Une colline" is the french word for hill. There are a couple of hills in Paris, and, for example, Montmartre is built on one of them. Today, though, I went to Meudon, a suburb outside of Paris which is the highest point around for miles -- in fact it's apparently as high as the second story of the Eiffel Tower. Now Hannah, what were you doing in Meudon, you may be asking yourself. And the answer to that is...speaking English! I got a  job spending about an hour and a half per week hanging out with this 12 year old boy in Meudon and speaking English with him, and today was my first day! I had been out there last week to meet his parents, etc., but today was our first official hang out. His parents were just looking for someone he could talk with once a week to work on his English because, like most language instruction in schools, there's not really that much time set aside where you can practice speaking -- it's mostly comprehension, reading, and writing. So basically I'm just there to hang out with a 12 year old, speak my native language, and get paid for it. COULDN'T BE BETTER.

The observatory of Meudon -- as you can see, we are up quite high on that colline! What a view.

I can get to Meudon from the Gare Montparnasse for approximately 2 euros and 40 centimes and it's a 10 minute train ride. It's incredibly simple to get most places in France thanks to the vast train system. I've taken at least 4 types since I've been here -- the metro, the RER (commuter train), the suburban train, and the TGV (high speed train). Anyway, I showed up at the train station and Samson, the boy, comes and picks me up on his skateboard. This kid is allll about skateboarding, much like I imagine most 12 year old boys are. He lights up when I mention Tony Hawk and asks if he can do an ollie (he can't). From there we pretty much talk about anything and everything. We talked about school and the subjects he likes, we talked about cricket, we talked about cats, we talked about swim team. He took me for a little tour of Meudon and showed me the house where Louis XIV's son, the dauphin, lived. We walked up to the observatory and he showed me his elementary school. While I don't think he understood every word of what I said, I was impressed at the amount of English he knows. His vocabulary is pretty good, and he has a good command of verbs but struggles with the future/past tense (don't we all). He showed me his English notebooks and the work his class did on the World Trade Center. He had a labeled map of the US and a really detailed map of Manhattan, along with a short story about a boy and his sister going to a football game. I showed him Iowa and Virginia and California, which he knew because of Hollywood. He seemed to know the most about New York, which I guess makes sense, seeing as how there are so many relationships between NYC and Paris. He also showed me a set of comic books in English about cowboys and indians, which is hilarious because the French have this very strange obsession with the cowboy/indian theme. The best example is a chain of bars in Paris called "Indiana" -- which serves "Tex-Mex" food and has fake indian headdresses hung up everywhere and pictures of the wild west. Trying to explain to a Parisian that Indiana the state has very little to do with tee-pees and buffalo hunting would be inconceivable, although one day I want to bring in a picture of a corn field and be like, "See people, THIS is Indiana. Not the bluffs/mountains/plains of actual Indian territory!" Someday.

The "Potager du Dauphin" in Meudon - the house that Louis XIV built for his son.

Anyway, after an hour and a half we wrapped things up and I got back to the train station and headed back into the city. I have a feeling that these Friday afternoon "teaching" sessions will be really fun and a great way to interact with real French people. Samson and I talk mainly in English but every now and then there's a moment where I throw in a French word to make sure he understands or he'll use a French word for an English one he doesn't know -- like "colline." While walking up the hill to the observatory today he was trying to explain that Meudon is built on a hill, and so we had to do a couple of hand-gestures/code-switching to figure it out. Being able to have the opportunity to use and help teach English to someone is so great because it allows me to realize things not just about my own language but also my relationship with French. I sometimes get hung up on the fact that I don't know how to say something in French or get frustrated when people can recognize by my accent that I'm not a native speaker and that gets me pretty discouraged sometimes. But something that Samson has already taught me is that it's not embarrassing to be learning a language! It's not awkward if you don't know how to say something, and people aren't going to look down on you if you don't use the correct verb tense. I am not a native French speaker, and so I need to stop expecting myself to sound like one every time I open my mouth. One of the things I love about Europe is that learning other languages is just so common here, and so everyone's a beginner in something -- whether it be their fifth language or their second. The important thing is to try, to smile, and laugh at your own mistakes, because lord knows there will be a lot of them!

Passer une Nuit Blanche

The closest thing the French have to the expression "pulling an all-nighter" is passer une nuit blanche. However, the phrase doesn't have any of the negative connotations that "pulling an all-nighter" does, it simply means that you just stayed up the whole night -- whether to write a term paper or party until dawn (the French apparently don't make a distinction between the two). Yesterday, I had a nuit blanche! Every year, the city of Paris hosts a nuit blanche for the entire city -- where most cultural institutions stay open all night (7pm-7am), the metro and public transport stay open, and they bring in a bunch of cool art expositions and performances for people to see - for free! There were SO many things going on -- from free jazz concerts to performance art pieces based on Prince's "Purple Rain" (yep) to dancing to art exhibits in old churches. My friends and I met up at 10 at the Hotel de Ville and started to explore from there! We had made itineraries based on the Nuit Blanche website and things we had heard about, and headed out into the Marais.

The official poster.

The Marais is the neighborhood I live in, and it's pretty much at the center of Paris. There were a couple of different "hubs" for Nuit Blanch activities, and the Marais was one of them. However as soon as we started walking from the Hotel de Ville is became a madhouse. The streets were just teeming with people -- it was like being at a music festival in Paris, almost, except without the ever-present music playing. But there definitely was that festival atmosphere and everyone seemed to be having a good time. My friends and I realllyyy wanted to see the "Purple Rain" piece, but the line to get into the courtyard where it was on was three blocks long! So instead, we just walked past it and looked in -- basically they were making in rain in this courtyard, putting purple light on it, and giving everyone who came in clear purple umbrellas so they could walk around in it -- how neat is that? We also managed to stop in and see a couple of cool modern art exhibits in various buildings and gardens. However, the Marais was sooo crowded (and it was still early!) so we decided to head up to Montmartre to see what was going on around there.
Montmartre was also hopping, surprise, surprise! It seemed as if all of Paris had come out for this night. We stopped first in this old church and saw an amazing art-installation of what looked like chandeliers covered in quartz crystals. We then trekked on into a gallery that my friend's photography teacher had told them about. It was incredible! There was an installation that this artist did which was a screen (in live time) that drew what it saw in comic-book format, so you could see what you would look like in a comic sketch!

Comic book me!

So awesome. We then stopped into some theatres to watch little artsy films and saw this one where an artist drew birds on a wall in charcoal and then lit the whole thing on fire. Pretty neat. After that, we stopped in to have a snack/drink (it was like 3am) and then we began the long walk back to the Marais. We could have taken the metro for free at this time (!) but Paris only kept 2 lines open and they weren't anywhere near us, so we decided just to walk and enjoy the night and the festivities. I ended up getting home around 4:30 and didn't go to bed until 6 - so I had a true nuit blanche! What an experience. You have to love a city that provides (for free) a whole night of culture. Good work, Paris.

Halle aux Farines

Well, this isn't so much new vocab as it is new information. "Halle aux Farines" means "flour market" in french, but that actually has nothing to do with this post. Halle aux Farines is also the name of the building where I have my french university class! I take a class at Université de Paris VII, Diderot, henceforth to be referred to as "Paris VII" (but be careful you have to say it the french way aka 'pair-ee set' said as fast as possible). Anyways, so I'm taking a history class there called "Modern Europe: Economy and Society from 1500-1700." I really wanted to get the experience of taking a class at a french university and to make sure I was taking at least one history class, and this one seemed perfect - it fit right into my schedule and looked pretty interesting. It has been quite a journey, though! The first day of class (last Monday) I left 2 hours early because 1) I'm ocd about being early and 2) I had noo idea where I was going. But after only a minor metro mishap and a 20 minute walk in the wrong direction, I finally found it. Paris VII is rather unique among Parisian universities because it is the one which most resembles your typical American campus. There's about 4 blocks dedicated to only college buildings, which is unique for schools here in the city. See my picture below, taken from this neat bridge that crosses a part of campus.

 

 

Yay, college!

So, I get to class the first day super early but, not to fear, I have reading for some other classes so I just casually sit amidst a cloud of cigarette smoke (it's omnipresent here, especially among teenagers) and pretend to read my book while actually just freaking out about the upcoming 1.5 hours of rapid french that's going to be spoken at me. Time passes rather quickly this way, and soon enough it's time to go in. My class is in Amphi 1A, a large lecture hall right there on the first floor. Quite convenient. It's your typical amphitheater-style class room with rows of long wooden desks with little seats that fold down out of the one behind. The walls are made of concrete and there's a huge sliding blackboard at the front like the ones you see in physics classrooms. About 5 minutes before class, the professor walks in. At this point there must be about 100 or so students sitting in various locations around the room (no one sits in the first three rows though, god forbid) and everyone seems to be doing something else, even as the professor begins lecturing. This is a surprise to me because my program had gotten a presentation from our program-leaders about classes in french universities and how french students behave. According to them, nobody drinks in class (or even brings water bottles), everyone puts their stuff neatly on the floor beside them, everyone writes in cursive, and everyone sits up straight and is on their best behavior at all times. So let's just say I was mildly surprised when I saw kids texting, whispering, not only drinking but eating (!) during the lecture, and all manner of bags/scarves/crap all over the tables beside them. I felt better right away.
Basically, the professor then proceeds to lecture for an hour and a half, occasionally writing things on the board and very frequently saying things like "oh so-and-so, you should know about him" while I'm sitting there not even knowing how to spell the guy's name. The first half-hour was complete panic while I sat there and proceeded to be terrified of not understanding anything. However, after I got over that I was able to understand a fair amount of what the professor was lecturing about and all was good. At the end of 90 minutes, the professor looks up from her notes, says "Thanks for your attention," and promptly leaves the class while the students put away their computers and file out. So strange for me! I've never had a class like that and so I was basically just shocked at the little amount of effort I had to put in. The girl next to me said there's probably 20-30 kids in the class who won't even show up to the lectures. However, there's another component to the class as well - a 3hr once a week "T.D." section, which is a smaller group of about 25 that meets with a teacher to discuss the lectures and do work. I was really nervous for this part because I had no idea what to expect - would I understand what the other students were saying? Would I understand the readings? Would I be expected to contribute?
So, I went with baited breath to my first T.D. a week ago. I was really nervous but immediately felt better when I walked in and saw two other Americans (we're pretty easy to spot), both of whom I have weird small-world connections to! Basically, the T.D. section is a large university's attempt at a discussion class, but it doesn't work when you have to read only 2 primary sources a week (whaattt) and the class is three hours long. Also the french students in my class NEVER contribute. It's so awkward! The teacher will ask a question like, "What was the reading about?" and NO ONE will answer.  The awkward silence will continue for 3-4 minutes while there's that weird stare-off between teacher and students. This leads to the other Americans and I feeling super uncomfortable so one of us usually pipes in with a "I'm not sure I fully understood everything but...." and our attempt at an answer. What can you do. The french kids seem above answering those lowly questions...
The T.D. concludes with me getting assigned an "'exposé" (basically a 20 minute oral report/essay) about Italian glass makers in France in the 1500s (hooray), but also with the confidence that I understood the main points made AND I made a friend who told me when the exam was, because I couldn't figure that out on my own. After class the Americans and I are approached by a french kid who proceeds to talk to us for 20 minutes and ends the conversation with an invitation for all of us to come visit his country home because he was absolutely insistent that "Paris is not the real France!" and that we MUST see some other parts of the country. It was awesome. While I'm not sure how much actual history I'll be learning in this class (what with the pretty much non-existent reading and the only half-understood lectures), I will definitely learn a lot about how education is done here and hopefully meet some french students my age in the process. Should be some good times ahead in the Halle aux Farines!

Le b.a. ba

Le b.a. ba (prounouced beh ah bah) is the french equivalent of "The A.B.Cs" for us. So, saying something is "le b.a. ba" is like saying it's as easy as the ABCs - the most simple thing. Although I'm surrounded by French pretty much most of every day, it's still difficult for me to find time to actually practice speaking with someone who can correct me. You would think it would be simple, but it isn't! In my classes and with French people I just talk, and people understand mostly what I'm saying even if my verb forms aren't perfect or I use an English word here and there. However, the only time I really get straight-up corrected on the little mistakes I make in every day speaking is in French class, and that's only twice a week for two hours. And then how am I supposed to learn more cool expressions that I can write about on this blog?! So basically, I've been trying to find ways where I can put my self in situations where I can talk to people and they can correct my little mistakes and help me through verb conjugations, etc. And this is where Franglish comes in! Franglish is an organization that, well, organizes these get-togethers in bars throughout Paris. You sign up online in advance, and then it's basically like language speed-dating. You are matched with a native speaker of the opposite language, and then you speak for 7 minutes in French and 7 minutes in English. You can talk about anything, as long as it's in one of the two languages!

Random pretty pictures from life in Paris...

So, my friend and I decided to go try it out tonight. It was held at a bar in the 4eme called Lizard Lounge, which had this whole cool underground section where little tables were set up with paper and pencils (if a bit of impromptu pictionary or spelling help was necessary) and French/English dictionaries.  We paid our 10 Euros, got a free drink, and then sat down. And let me say, the experience was AWESOME. I probably talked to about 7 or 8 people, and each conversation was totally different! I was surprised at the varying levels of English - I talked to a Chinese History prof from Sciences Po (the Political Science University here) whose English was almost perfect, and then I talked to a woman who was having trouble stringing sentences together. I taught one woman the word "awesome" (the closest translation in french is "chouette" which means "super") and got a mini-architecture lesson from another. I got corrected on my use of the subjunctive (of course...) and met a guy who was so obsessed with moving to San Francisco that he told me he watches South Park and Family Guy every day to try and learn American slang so he will fit in when he goes there. My friend had a funny conversation with a man about the changing policies surrounding marijuana in Amsterdam. Apparently, the french guy thought the word for "pot" was "crack," and so was saying things like "It's crazy - they let you smoke crack in bars there but not cigarettes!" It was so funny that it took my friend awhile to get up the courage to tell the guy that in fact, pot and crack are too VERY different drugs...Although I must admit, drug slang is not exactly le b.a. ba of a language!

Overall, it was an awesome evening, and it is definitely an experience we will be returning to. So nice to meet real French people and practice and get corrected and learn new things! What a great way to spend a Wednesday night.