Aventures

I am feeling my fingers and my nose again after a long day in the cold. I have had 2 wonderful days exploring Paris, but I must say that I'm thankful to have a guide.

Yesterday we went to the Musee de Cluny, which is home to Medieval French history and art. I had no idea what I'd learn there, but as it turns out, I only discovered how much more I love le Moyen Age. There were beautiful tapestries, ancient swords, holy relics all housed in a building that dates to the early days of Paris. I also learned that the first settlers of Paris were fisherment, and the name of the city comes from them.

We had a much better day weather-wise yesterday, as it was barely in the twenties (Farenheit) with the windchill today. I am glad for my hat and gloves! We did a lot of walking, but I am reminded again why I am so grateful for the homestay in the 1e arrondissement: it's close to so many things. It was barely a walk to the Sainte-Chapelle this morning and I was grateful when I arrived. The sights were breath-taking - even the poor windows that have been since replaced with parts of newer stained glass. I love old cathedrals.

I will also say that Notre-Dame did not dissapoint. I just wish that I could have stayed for longer! There are so many alcoves full of history, so many stories in each of the windows. I just didn't want to disturb those people who were actually there to pray. (Note to those of you who love the Disney film: their animation barely gave the real windows justice, and they did some amazing work in their drawings).

Montmatre was wonderful, complete with a view of the cafe from the film Amelie. I also want to return there when it is warmer, since we hardly had the energy to keep walking from site to site. All in all, the best part was being in the beautiful, ambient and warm Basilique de Sacre-Coeur. It's plain to see why so many people make their pilgrimages to that place.

Well, I'm off to prepare myself for dinner. I love eating and eating and still being able to eat bread and cheese and a dessert afterward. The food is wonderful, and I hope that I can be more open-minded to things that I don't normally eat than I am in the U.S.

Bonsoir, mes amis.

Jour 1

I am finally in Paris after much travel and nervous waiting in airport terminals. I have become adept at reading signs and following the masses of people to the baggage claim area. Surprisingly, the traveling itself has been relatively painless.

My homestay happens to be in the heart of Paris, so I will be seeing the sights and hearing the sounds of the famous parts of the City of Lights every day. When I met up with my host mother, the Arc de Triomphe was a mere few feet away - quite breathtaking in its stature. Then we drove down the Champs Elysee, past the Louvre to the apartment. I was unprepared for the tiny elevator that only fit one person. It barely fit me, my backpack, and one of my suitcases. I guess I should have considered that when everyone was telling me that the buildings are old!

After being here for a few hours, it is all I can do not to go right to sleep. I've probably already done enough by taking a sieste for about an hour. I want to be prepared for our first day of orientation tomorrow, which means trying to remember as much French as possible with this swimming head of mine. Jet Lag is not for the faint of heart, my friends. I don't really know what day it is right now, but the clock tells me it is dimanche soir.

Well, I am still pinching myself as you might imagine. Paris is right outside the door! My next problem is trying to remember all the tips I've heard about travel and to keep my wits about me on the metro in the morning.

Thankful

One week from now, I will be on the flight to Paris! After all these years of dreaming, months of preparing, and weeks of agonizing waiting, I am finally about to do this. Right now, I can say that if I were to die soon, I would know that I have lived more that a lot of people twice my age! The important thing now is to be grateful for this chance - and NOT give into those last-minute gitters.

For starters, I am going to be in the City of Lights for three entire months, almost four months in fact. Paris is one of the world's most visited sites, famous for food, architecture, romance, and snooty people. I am not too thrilled about that last one. But I take consolation in the fact that there are rude people in every big city and even in small towns. At least now, the odds are high that I won't know them personally and they will be judging me based on my cultural ignorance. They will probably be right!

This semester is going to be the time to soak up the good and the bad so that I won't end up still one of the annoying Americans who makes all the wrong mistakes and can't tell the difference between embarrassed and embarraser. (Let me tell you, the second one is French, and it doesn't mean what you think it means.)

Secondly, going to Paris won't only fulfill a life-long dream, but this trip is the opportunity to broaden my personal horizons. It will challenge my concept of myself, of my beliefs, of what it means to be American, and above all it will scare me into positive change. Since coming to college (shout-out to Hollins University), I have learned how to take risks for the sake of learning. This is a lesson from which we can each benefit. But for me taking risks isn't just something to do because I'm young and I have the world ahead of me. This is a lifestyle to which I aspire, and my term in Paris will be the biggest step I have made outside of home and Hollins.

For those of you who are reading this and who don't really believe me when I talk about risk, you're probably right. I'm hearing that word in my ears right now, and it sounds hollow. What I mean by that word is something more like reckless abandon under completely conscious control. Sound like an oxymoron yet?

I want to be able to say that I don't mind being out of control but that I also take into consideration the chance for failure or defeat. What I am most thankful for in this study abroad experience is that I won't be doing this alone. There are strong hands holding me up, and wonderful people waiting in the wings to help me back up if (when) I fall. This post is to say thanks in advance to the people who care.

American in Paris

For those of you who don't know the name Gene Kelly, you are really missing out. Gene Kelly was one of Hollywood's biggest stars during the golden era of musicals. If you haven't seen him in anything, you should check out An American in Paris (1951). This film won 6 Oscars in its day, and it's not because of the quality of acting alone. The dancing is SUPERB.

I should tell you that this movie has been on my list of things to see for quite some time because of its title and its leading man. Since I am about to embark on my own journey to Paris, I decided that now would be the perfect time to view this American masterpiece. And I think it was a wonderful decision!

If you can't speak French and you don't know a thing about the French, there are a few details about this movie that won't matter to you. For me, they made the whole thing. First of all, just hearing French people speaking English is wonderful. There is something about the accent that is particularly endearing. Anyway the more important thing is that they actually do have moments of French dialogue. They aren't even throw-away lines like they do in modern movies; they are things that characterize the people and give veracity to a film whose climax is a ballet.

Secondly, I appreciated the fact that the two American leads are the ones who love jazz and tap dance - both distinctly American. The entire soundtrack of the movie is Gershwin. Translation: breath-taking! Combined with the beautiful ballet lines of the female lead, I think that the movie reflects the magic that happens when Americans encounter French culture.

Thirdly (and lastly because I could go on forever), the ballet sequence is absolutely a must-see. This epic drama occurs at the emotional climax. Coincidentally, the dialogue ends minutes before the ballet. I would take this kind of a scene over a dialogue-heavy climax any day! Kelly's choreography is visually stunning throughout, but my favorite part is when he interprets two of Toulouse Lautrec's famous paintings as dance. The average modern viewer might not immediately recognize these works, but if you have ever seen the stereotype of French art, you kind of have an idea of the style of Toulouse Lautrec. For someone like myself who is a student of French culture, I was overjoyed to find a visual reference to the paintings. Just the icing on an already delicious cake!

This movie has made me want to jump on the plane to Paris right now, but I will be patient. In the meantime, I will also be on the look-out for other films of French-American intersections. Preferably involving Gene Kelly.

Live the Dream!

In two weeks, I will begin the journey of a lifetime: spending a semester in Paris, France! I want to start this blog so that those of you who care about me can experience this exciting time as I'm experiencing it. At the same time, I also hope that this will be a good outlet for the things that constantly roll through my brain as I'm processing new things. Please feel free to comment and to question me about what's going on. The more comments, the more I'll be motivated to post things here.

“Each man should frame life so that at some future hour fact and his dreaming meet.”
Victor Hugo