In three days I will be leaving France much as I arrived: colder than I would have liked, a little tired and overwhelmed, and with almost no comprehension of how wonderful this city can be. Although the weather has remained fairly foul and I never got the springtime in Paris that I've waited so long for, the city has always been beautiful. I cannot believe that 5 months have passed so quickly and it seems that there's still so much left to do. Like all Parisians tell me: il faut que je revienne, but who can say when I'll next have the opportunity to visit Paris? The sad truth of traveling is that one needs both time and money, and you rarely ever have the two to spare at once. I'm confident that I'll make it back one day, though I could never say where to exactly or under what circumstances. I have loved my time in Paris, but every day here makes me realize how difficult it is to come to know a place. Paris is classically marvelous and will always be a home, but the world is full of strange cities with infinite home-potential and I fully intend to explore the possibilities. Though I still don't think I completely understand Paris, I appreciate it. ...continue reading "Paris don’t let me leave you this way"
Tag: unprofoundobservations
I’m studying abroad. That’s a pretentious way of saying I’m… unemployed at the moment.
I have less than two weeks left in Paris and I'm beginning to experience a biazrre mix of excitement to return to everything I know and love state-side, and depression at the thought of leaving everything strange and beautiful that is Paris. It seems to be a sentiment shared by many of my fellow study-abroaders, and I honestly have no idea how to reconcile the two. My time abroad has been amazing, challenging, and more than I could have visualized four months ago. However, there's a part of me that cannot wait to return to a real, routine, potentially more productive life. Knowing that you'll only have a limited amount of time in a fabulous space ensures your commitment to thoroughly exploring it, but it also constantly reminds you that you'll soon be saying au revoir. ...continue reading "I’m studying abroad. That’s a pretentious way of saying I’m… unemployed at the moment."
We manage to be together for a few moments and then off she goes
I've spent the past three weeks seeing Paris through everyone's eyes but my own. My fantastic family traversed the Atlantic to see me two weeks ago (to see me and the pastry I should say) and I was able to spend a week showing them my city and having some of the touristy adventures I hadn't yet experienced. It was wonderful to see them and to frolic around Paris with three people who - like me a few months ago - were experiencing the city for the first time. Granted, their Paris was relatively warm and in full bloom while I came to the city under 3 cm of snow, but their wonder was contagious. In addition to eating better than I have in weeks, I was able to see a tourist's Paris complete with all of the romanticism and splendor that Americans search for in this city. We saw the streets flooded with parties as the Gay Marriage Act passed and spent days strolling through the Tuilleries under the blue Parisian sky. Paris is finally showing itself to be everything that I had hoped. Though 10 degrees and some foliage may not seem like much, Paris in the spring is a far more beautiful experience than one could imagine and I can finally begin to see la vie en rose that everyone is fond of talking about. ...continue reading "We manage to be together for a few moments and then off she goes"
Then you have no problems! Where’d they go?
Tomorrow morning I will leave for my spring break and the largest stretch of traveling I will be able to do while in Europe. While nobody is exactly sure why our two weeks of spring break come in the last month of our semester (see: two weeks of break and then two weeks of finals) it's an excellent chance to explore the continent when the weather is finally nice. I finished arranging my travel plans approximately 5 hours ago, and though I'm excited for impending travels everything seems to have come together very last minute. While I love the idea of an organized-in-advance vacation - for example, one where I do not realize the night before that I don't have train tickets for the first leg of my journey - I know that this is hardly my strength. Whatever happens for the next two weeks I'll roll with and will have to assume that all is well. While I'm excited for the destinations (Marseille, Lake Como, Florence, and Prague) it's the traveling I love. I assume I'll feel differently after my eighth hour on a bus through European farmland, but it's hard to ignore the sense of adventure. ...continue reading "Then you have no problems! Where’d they go?"
I came here to paint
As I sit in my room on a Sunday night making attempts at 'productive procastination' - that is to say updating this blog, responding to emails, online window shopping, and doing other important tasks in lieu of writing a paper - I realize how quickly my program will be over. I have less than 6 weeks left in this beautiful city and I have no idea how to best take advantage of the time. I will be traveling for my spring break during two of these weeks and continue to remind myself that I have finals to contend with for most of these weeks, but I can't appreciate just how little time I have left. At this point six weeks still seems like a sizable stretch of time and Washington D.C. is so very far away. The weather has just become warm and sunny, and I can't imagine having to spend my last times in Paris sitting inside reviewing French modernist painters and their political system. ...continue reading "I came here to paint"
The more beautiful it is, the more it will hurt without you
Today Paris went above 20 degree (centigrade) and the clouds disappeared. After one of the city's longest winters, this Sunday was the first real day of spring. While every Parisian I have spoken to insists that this is incredibly unusual and one of the longest winters they've ever seen, it is possibly the only winter that I will be in Paris for and it has become a bit rough.
I chose to celebrate in one of the most touristy fashions possible, which is to say that I picnicked under the Eiffel Tower with friends; there was bread, cheese, fruit, and every stereotypical panorama of Paris. While it's not hard to find someone playing "Aux Champs Elysées" in the metro, they were sadly lacking in the Champs de Mars this afternoon. ...continue reading "The more beautiful it is, the more it will hurt without you"
Loire Valley, don’t let me leave you this way
I in fact never want to leave the Loire Valley. This past weekend my program took us on a tour of this fairy tale-esque region of central France to four of its most fabulous chateaux: Blois, Azay-le-Rideau, Chenonceau, and Chambourd. We spent the weekend enjoying wine and cheese tastings, delicious fresh farm foods, and some of the most luxurious homes ever built in Europe. The sun came out for the first time in weeks and the temperature managed to barely climb above 10 Celsius, so it was certainly a weekend to be celebrated. ...continue reading "Loire Valley, don’t let me leave you this way"
Where is everyone? Here
This week I was fortunate enough to be visited by two very good friends from GW who have been having their own European adventures, but wanted to spend the weekend in Paris with me. It was probably the beautiful city and fantastic sites that inspired the visit, but I like to take some credit. I greeted Jo Jo from Florence and Haley from Copenhagen with open arms and pastries, and I spent the next few days with them as a tourist in my own city. ...continue reading "Where is everyone? Here"
What about that extra girl? That’s me.
One of my greatest hesitations upon applying to my study abroad program was the idea of staying with a host family. Though I recognized that it would be the best way to improve my language skills and come to understand the French culture, I simply could not bring myself to look forward to moving in with a random family for five months. I met my host family three days after arriving in Paris and it has been a constant adventure since.
I live in a gorgeous and classically-Haussmann apartment in the 17th arrondissement, with a delightfully bizarre French family. My host mother works as a school teacher and is fantastic at explaining French culture and language when I become confused every few minutes during dinner conversation. My host father owns an antique toy store and behaves exactly as a grown man who owns a toy store ought to. It is more common for students to live with their parents during or after university, and so I live with three host brothers in their early twenties who have taught me all the important slang, cultural references, movies, and snack foods I should regularly consume to be considered a true Parisian. Moreover, my host family has been hosting students from around the world for almost a decade and they are complete champions of the process. They invite me to outings and museum exhibits with them, but also give me the leeway to make my own dinner schedule and come-and-go as I please. In many respects I am that extra girl - or 'notre américainne' as my host father says - who hangs out and eats dinner with them, but they've done an excellent job of making me feel welcome. ...continue reading "What about that extra girl? That’s me."
A [lost] American in Paris
Moving to Washington D.C. was the first time I had ever had to master some form of public transit to make my way around, and I think everyone can appreciate the sense of championship accomplishment that comes from memorizing the metro map and making your daily commutes with ease. In Paris, I not only get to explore much more of the city to make it to classes every day, but the public transit system is infinitely more confusing and colorful. To compare: ...continue reading "A [lost] American in Paris"