PARIS PAPERS VOLUME II

Welcome old and new subscribers, for the first-timers (those recently added due to an error in the circulation department *cough* *cough*): this is my way of keeping everyone posted on what I am up to while I am in Paris. I will do the best to keep up corresponding with people, but no promises. So get ready for it folks, because here it comes:

As you all have deduced, I arrived safely about two weeks ago. I managed to kick the jet lag pretty quickly, and set about absorbing Paris. The first place I went was to the Eiffel Tower, and I took the stairs to the first level, the top two being closed for some reason (and yes, I did, in fact, do what I said I would, if you don’t know what I am talking about, it is ok). On the way to Notre Dame I enjoyed a chocolate crepe. I will be sure, in the course of the next six months, to have one for each of you :o). The first week was spent mostly sight-seeing and having an orientation with the on-site program director. She took us to the Musee D’Orsay, the Chateau at Chantilly (very lovely, build between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries), the Louvre (as astonishing as ever, and I discovered the ruins of the original fortress ruins in the basement), a Moliere play at the Comedie Francais, the Parisian History Museum, and on a Bateaux Mouches tour of the city (a sight-seeing cruise on the Seine).

I think that the Louvre is one of my favorites, it is the largest museum in the world, and just contains so much AMAZING stuff. The Egyptian collection is remarkable. The museum is so massive, that every time I go, I visit the “Big 3” (Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, and Venus de Milo) and then explore an area that I have never seen before. It’s like going to a different museum every time. Not to mention the Museum is a former palace and the architecture is as wonderful as the art it houses.

I have moved into my apartment now. I am living with a host family with another exchange student from California. My host parents are nice. We live quite close to L’Arc de Triumphe off of Avenue Wagram. I have my own room, it is small, but homey, and suits me just fine for the amount of time I will be spending there (why sit in my room when I can be out exploring Paris?). Madame and Monsieur do not speak English, this is both a blessing and a curse, if forces me to practice French, but it does hinder communication because I cannot always say what I want to say. I cook for myself most of the time, and it is a lesson in budget management, cooking and buying all of my own food. Pasta and soup are the most popular menu choices. I buy a lot of fresh fruit, because there is an open market one street away from where I live, and their fruits and vegetables are amazing, not to mention haggling prices is a great way to practice French. I try really really hard to not eat pastry constantly, being in Paris, there are pastry shops on every corner with confections that look so amazing you just want one of everything. Camembert and Baguettes are also staple foods in my (and seemingly every one else in Paris) diet.

On my own I have visited many sites around the city. A favorite of mine is Mont Martre, where the Cathedral of Sacre Coeur is located. This hill is one of the highest points in Paris, and a great view of the city, especially if you are brave enough to climb the winding spiral stairs to the top of the tower. Mont Martre is also where one can find artists selling original works, mostly paintings of the city, and portraits. They never fail to flatter potential buyers in any language they can. I like to watch them paint. This is also a great place to sit outside a café with a hot chocolate and just watch the world go by.

L’Arc de Triumphe was built by Napoleon and it is an immense archway situated right in the middle of Charles De Gaulle Etoile (star). Charles De Gaulle Etoile is one of the largest rotaries in the world, 8 lanes of speeding traffic. Luckily for the pedestrians (myself included) there is an underground path to get to the arch that passes under the rotary. At the top of the Arch (after another tiny winding stair case) there is a small museum mostly dedicated to Napoleon and his campaigns. The view from the top of the arch is excellent; it is different from the higher view-points because you are at eye level with all the rooftops.

La Grand Arche at La Defense is massive, and down the street from L’Arc de Triumphe. It is entirely white marble and was completed in 1989. To get to the top (no stairs for once) you take a glass elevator shaped like a pill. Incase you hadn’t guessed, I am working on the fear of heights thing.

Another splendid site is the Grand Opera (yes, the one that inspired the story of the Phantom). This is amazing. The interior is so luxurious it is unbelievable, gold and marble everywhere. There are sculptures, and chandeliers, and frescoes, and murals. It’s just incredible. The chairs, in the Theatre, are all covered in red velvet.

I have been to Notre Dame twice, once to attend mass. Notre Dame, of course, is nothing short of incredible, from the rose windows, to the gargoyles, to the ancient presence, the smell (incense and old), the feeling of the stone and the air, the bells, the organ. I just cannot describe how beautiful Notre Dame is. She is situated in the center of Paris on Ile de la Cite, right in the middle of the Seine.

I have visited the Place de la Concorde, the Petit Palais, Hotel de Ville, Invalides, the Tuileries Gardens, and many other sights around Paris. In the days to come I will be adding the Rodin Museum, Victor Hugo’s residence, Place de la Bastille, and others. I have taken close to 600 pictures (half of which are of the Eiffel Tower, well, maybe not half…), and quite a few videos, I am going to have quite the album when all is said and done!

Aside from playing tourist, I have simultaneously been playing student. All this week I had intensive French classes for nearly 6 hours a day at the University of Paris VII: Denis Diderot, also called Jussieu. Regular classes start Monday, and I am going to choose from the following: Economics, Sociology, and Roman History, 20^th and 21^st century History. I am definitely taking a French course, and might take a French cooking class for fun. I am going to attend a few classes and then choose what I want to take; things are done differently over here. You register after having attended class, and I like it that way. I am a little worried about the language, but I have been to a few plays, and have comprehended pretty well, so I figure I will be ok in a lecture situation. Classes consist of a lecture, and then a smaller group-discussion class. Each class is about 3 hours a week, much like the states. Completely random observation: the note books over here are odd; they are all grid-paper rather than the traditional (American) lined paper.

I have taken some limited advantage of the shopping in Paris, right now everything is on sale, it’s the city-wide SOLDES (sales), like semi-annual sales in the states, only a million times bigger. I got dragged to Galleries Lafayette and H & M by my friends. I so far have amassed a scarf and two shirts, when as some of my peers have spent 2 month’s worth of budget. I will never understand the “fashion thing.” I will admit, these little excursions can be amusing, and again, good practice for language, I have been asked to translate on occasion. One such shopping adventure led to the purchase of Concert tickets for Fallout Boy. They are really popular right now. I figure at 21 is it high time to expand my concert horizons to include something other than Rich Charette (when I was much much much younger) and Backstreet Boys. It should be fun, the concert is in February.

I like living in the city, there is always so much going on. Sometimes you get swept up in the hustle and bustle, but that’s all part of it. I love taking the Metro, it is so easy and convenient, is quick, and you don’t really have to think about it, you can eat breakfast and read the paper during your commute. I love that there is so much to do, even if I had years, I don’t think I could do it all. I have found some amazing little restaurants, and boutiques, and just little spots that are very unique. I have met some fascinating people, including a grandmother from Sydney, Australia who travels constantly seeing the world. I have made some new friends and learned a whole lot, and I am only 2 weeks into this adventure. Thus far, I love Paris, and am very happy to be here, I do miss home, but this is a fantastic opportunity, and I am going to continue to make the most of it and soak it all up. I hope that I did not bore you all to tears with my incessant narrative, but you all said you wanted to hear from me. I hope that you all are well. I miss you, and will write again in about 2 weeks. And I will respond to any e-mails as soon as I can, but I am working off of a very weak wireless signal, so no promises!

Yours,

Monica