So, this is a quick update before I go to SPAIN for spring break. The last couple days have been very school filled. Last weekend I was sick (thanks, winter), so I spent a LOT of time in bed. I did go to Luxembourg Gardens and The Pantheon (just another weekend in Paris).
Luckily, this week the weather seems to be turning into rainy, warmish spring. Everyone knows how much I hate winter, so I'm pleased that Paris is beating Boston, where it is still wintery-mixing.
I am SO excited to be embarking on my first real travelling adventure. Though Paris is great, I'm itching for something new and different as well as looking forward to the feeling of returning "home". The first weekend in Spain I'm meeting a big group of TUFTS friends and I'm ecstatic. It's strange to part from your best friends for months at a time and I'm pleased I'll get to reunite with them, even for a just a couple days. Then, I'm staying in Madrid for a few more days (hopefully with a day trip somewhere), and then continuing south to Barcelona, where neither my English nor my French nor my limited Spanish will do me any good, as they speak Catalan. I've printed my tickets, checked for my passport, and reserved my hostels. Au Revoir, Paris, Hola Espana!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
oh, i'm proud to be an american
Now what I'm about to say may sound slightly ridiculous, but is nonetheless true. I have recently become acutely aware of the fact I speak English (and the fact I am an American). Yes, absolutely shocking, I know. But I speak English fluently. Without, for the most part, errors. And effortlessly.
This, for someone who is in France, is both a burden and excellent. It's the first because everywhere I go, people respond in broken English. They pretend like just because I speak French with an American accent that I can't get any further than "je prends..." Which means "I'll have...(a croissant! a chocolate bread! a crepe with nutella!)" Newsflash France, I'm here to learn. On the otherhand, my innate knowledge of English also seems to an enviable ability. There are posters in every subway that read "learn wall street English" and a particularly funny one with a nurse and a man with bruises that reads "stop massacring English, take care of it!" My host sister was just talking the other night of how jealous she was of our English skills, how she was afraid we would judge her for hers (I'm equally envious of her French).
But the most bizzare part for me is that almost nobody in the US thinks like that about any foreign language. Yes, Spanish is useful (though manyvbelieve those who speak it in our country should learn English (not to say that I do and goodness knows I'm not trying to make a political statement but I'm trying to make vast generalizations about a very large country)), and Mandarin is relevant, but in no way do most Americans covet the abilty to speak a foreign language.
I think it might stem from the fact that good ol' 'Merica has decided that English is the dominant language, the popular kid in middle school. While she is surrounded by equally pretty friends, for some reason is the most popular. This metaphor can extend even further - everyone wants to watch what she's watching, listen to what's on her iPod, and wear the same clothes she does. Most movies here are American, for the most part the music in every restaurant/store/bar/club/supermarket I've been in has been American, and they even have American Apparel here. I'm not kidding or exaggerating. American culture is very, very pervasive, which, in a place as proud as France, is still bizzare to me. Luckily, it helps me navigate my way through French culture as I am an expert on American culture (unlike on French culture).
Speaking of, I should probably do a quick update on real concrete life things.
1. Classes continue. And are still exhausting. The Sorbonne is kicking my Tufts butt.
2. Many trips planned. I leave next Thursday for Madrid/Barcelona! More details later.
3. People in France don't cover food they put in their fridge. I think this is weird. They also don't do dryers. Or central heating.
4. I had class in the Louvre today. I sort of felt like I was making a movie about what it was like to study abroad.
5. The guard at the Sorbonne today (where I talk myself in everyday because I don't have an ID) told me I spoke very good French. This simple compliment left me floating on air.
Bedtime! All the cold is finally getting to me...I hope I don't tomber malade! (get sick)
This, for someone who is in France, is both a burden and excellent. It's the first because everywhere I go, people respond in broken English. They pretend like just because I speak French with an American accent that I can't get any further than "je prends..." Which means "I'll have...(a croissant! a chocolate bread! a crepe with nutella!)" Newsflash France, I'm here to learn. On the otherhand, my innate knowledge of English also seems to an enviable ability. There are posters in every subway that read "learn wall street English" and a particularly funny one with a nurse and a man with bruises that reads "stop massacring English, take care of it!" My host sister was just talking the other night of how jealous she was of our English skills, how she was afraid we would judge her for hers (I'm equally envious of her French).
But the most bizzare part for me is that almost nobody in the US thinks like that about any foreign language. Yes, Spanish is useful (though manyvbelieve those who speak it in our country should learn English (not to say that I do and goodness knows I'm not trying to make a political statement but I'm trying to make vast generalizations about a very large country)), and Mandarin is relevant, but in no way do most Americans covet the abilty to speak a foreign language.
I think it might stem from the fact that good ol' 'Merica has decided that English is the dominant language, the popular kid in middle school. While she is surrounded by equally pretty friends, for some reason is the most popular. This metaphor can extend even further - everyone wants to watch what she's watching, listen to what's on her iPod, and wear the same clothes she does. Most movies here are American, for the most part the music in every restaurant/store/bar/club/supermarket I've been in has been American, and they even have American Apparel here. I'm not kidding or exaggerating. American culture is very, very pervasive, which, in a place as proud as France, is still bizzare to me. Luckily, it helps me navigate my way through French culture as I am an expert on American culture (unlike on French culture).
Speaking of, I should probably do a quick update on real concrete life things.
1. Classes continue. And are still exhausting. The Sorbonne is kicking my Tufts butt.
2. Many trips planned. I leave next Thursday for Madrid/Barcelona! More details later.
3. People in France don't cover food they put in their fridge. I think this is weird. They also don't do dryers. Or central heating.
4. I had class in the Louvre today. I sort of felt like I was making a movie about what it was like to study abroad.
5. The guard at the Sorbonne today (where I talk myself in everyday because I don't have an ID) told me I spoke very good French. This simple compliment left me floating on air.
Bedtime! All the cold is finally getting to me...I hope I don't tomber malade! (get sick)
Monday, February 15, 2010
des petits morceaus.
HOLY cow there is a lot that has happened. The longer I'm here, the faster time passes. I'm starting to feel more like a student and less like a tourist. I have a boulangerie I like, we've found the best falafel place near our school, I can finally find most of my classes in the Sorbonne, which is the most confusing building ever built. (For those of you who went to Chaparral, it is even worse than the 200 building.)
Classes at the Sorbonne are peculiar. For one thing, French education is much more methodical than American education. Our professors and lectures, while well put together, are not always structured in the same way. The French lectures all seem to go a similar way - the professor starts with something like "je vous propose" which means "I propose to you" and then outlines their lecture, almost always in three parts. It's a structure that I'm starting to appreciate as it makes it easier to see what the big themes of the class are.
I also got my first taste of American History from a French point of view. The lecture was on the Free Flow of Information doctrine and I had to contain myself from laughing out loud. American History taught in the United States is often presented as "And then America did the best thing ever for the world..." finished with whatever we believed was right. The Sorbonne professor, however, pretty much put it like this: "and then the Americans decided to do this because they thought it was best." When he talked about the French history though, WHEW, talk about patriotism.
Overall the Sorbonne has been a great experience and I'm learning A LOT, even though it is very hard. I'm sort of at an advantage because I don't have to take finals and because a big chunk of academic research has been done in English, so some of my classes even have English readings (English seems to be almost required in university here). I've made a Swedish friend who I've had great conversations comparing the US education system to the Swedish system. They get paid 300 Euro / semester if they finish all their credits on top of the fact their education is free. Think about that, Tufts!
In an IES class today I had moment where I forgot the lecturer was speaking a different language because I understood it so well. I guess that means my French is improving, which is a good thing.
Now for the tangible things I've seen and done in the last week. I've done a lot of wandering around both the Latin Quarter and Le Marais, two of my favorite areas of Paris. I've eaten a lot of crepes with Nutella. Been cooking a lot of delicious food at my friend's apartment with delicious French wine. Found a coffee to go place that wasn't Starbucks, which is a feat. I saw a very modern art exhibit in which there were piles of clothes everywhere. I went to another 60's "yeah yeah" concert. I had my first bout of real, home/America-sickness. I saw Avatar in French (it was an educational accident.) It has been VERY cold and has snowed several times. Many many pictures later.
Classes at the Sorbonne are peculiar. For one thing, French education is much more methodical than American education. Our professors and lectures, while well put together, are not always structured in the same way. The French lectures all seem to go a similar way - the professor starts with something like "je vous propose" which means "I propose to you" and then outlines their lecture, almost always in three parts. It's a structure that I'm starting to appreciate as it makes it easier to see what the big themes of the class are.
I also got my first taste of American History from a French point of view. The lecture was on the Free Flow of Information doctrine and I had to contain myself from laughing out loud. American History taught in the United States is often presented as "And then America did the best thing ever for the world..." finished with whatever we believed was right. The Sorbonne professor, however, pretty much put it like this: "and then the Americans decided to do this because they thought it was best." When he talked about the French history though, WHEW, talk about patriotism.
Overall the Sorbonne has been a great experience and I'm learning A LOT, even though it is very hard. I'm sort of at an advantage because I don't have to take finals and because a big chunk of academic research has been done in English, so some of my classes even have English readings (English seems to be almost required in university here). I've made a Swedish friend who I've had great conversations comparing the US education system to the Swedish system. They get paid 300 Euro / semester if they finish all their credits on top of the fact their education is free. Think about that, Tufts!
In an IES class today I had moment where I forgot the lecturer was speaking a different language because I understood it so well. I guess that means my French is improving, which is a good thing.
Now for the tangible things I've seen and done in the last week. I've done a lot of wandering around both the Latin Quarter and Le Marais, two of my favorite areas of Paris. I've eaten a lot of crepes with Nutella. Been cooking a lot of delicious food at my friend's apartment with delicious French wine. Found a coffee to go place that wasn't Starbucks, which is a feat. I saw a very modern art exhibit in which there were piles of clothes everywhere. I went to another 60's "yeah yeah" concert. I had my first bout of real, home/America-sickness. I saw Avatar in French (it was an educational accident.) It has been VERY cold and has snowed several times. Many many pictures later.
Monday, February 8, 2010
an empire, a church and some artists.
Thursday: The last day of classes for the week, Thursday was a "mundane" day in Paris. We went to the Middle Ages Museum - the Musee de Cluny with my Paris Museums class. Though I'm not obsessed with art before Impressionism, it was amazing to be in a room (built in the 1300s) with things from the same era. Welcome to Europe.
Saturday: Went to Les Invalides, which is a whole compilation of things relating to war. Most famously, it is the site of Napoleon's "tomb" if you can call something bigger than most houses a tomb. It was HUGE and gorgeously decorated.
Napoleon is entombed inside that huge thing - in a box inside a box inside a box (etc.). The tomb is surrounded by all the names of his battles (notably leaving out Waterloo).
The ceiling.
Les Invalides is also a war museum, and I got to see armor from many centuries, which was amazing. To think that most of this armor came from before the United States was a country (or even "discovered" by the "civilized" world) really puts world history in perspective.
My favorite armor was children's armor. Though I'm not into child soldiers, it was hilarious to see the small scale version.
Sunday: In a huge contrast to Saturday's war-focused visit, Sunday we went to Montmartre. First, we walked up all the steps to Sacre Coeur and saw the church. While the church itself is very beautiful, what really got me was the view. One photo of each.
We then walked around Monmartre, the surrounding village, which was a huge artist hangout in the late 19th/ early 20th century. While the actual square was pretty touristy - lots of artists profiting off the tourist's desire to be "drawn", we wandered around and found some cool side streets to explore. Overall, absolutely amazing, per paris usual. The side streets were almost exactly what you think about if you try to imagine an ideal Paris. There was also a church from the 1100's that often gets overshadowed by Sacre Coeur, but was equally incredible (albeit much smaller - I appreciated their sign that said something along the lines of "We're a church, not a museum. Please do not walk around taking pictures during services.")
Last night I slept through the Superbowl (sorry, America). This morning I woke up and went to my first class at the Sorbonne. It looked and felt like a normal classroom while I was sitting in class, but then I walked outside and remembered that I was in arguably one of the most famous universities in the world. I'm not sure I'm ever going to get over that.
Saturday: Went to Les Invalides, which is a whole compilation of things relating to war. Most famously, it is the site of Napoleon's "tomb" if you can call something bigger than most houses a tomb. It was HUGE and gorgeously decorated.
Napoleon is entombed inside that huge thing - in a box inside a box inside a box (etc.). The tomb is surrounded by all the names of his battles (notably leaving out Waterloo).
The ceiling.
Les Invalides is also a war museum, and I got to see armor from many centuries, which was amazing. To think that most of this armor came from before the United States was a country (or even "discovered" by the "civilized" world) really puts world history in perspective.
My favorite armor was children's armor. Though I'm not into child soldiers, it was hilarious to see the small scale version.
Sunday: In a huge contrast to Saturday's war-focused visit, Sunday we went to Montmartre. First, we walked up all the steps to Sacre Coeur and saw the church. While the church itself is very beautiful, what really got me was the view. One photo of each.
We then walked around Monmartre, the surrounding village, which was a huge artist hangout in the late 19th/ early 20th century. While the actual square was pretty touristy - lots of artists profiting off the tourist's desire to be "drawn", we wandered around and found some cool side streets to explore. Overall, absolutely amazing, per paris usual. The side streets were almost exactly what you think about if you try to imagine an ideal Paris. There was also a church from the 1100's that often gets overshadowed by Sacre Coeur, but was equally incredible (albeit much smaller - I appreciated their sign that said something along the lines of "We're a church, not a museum. Please do not walk around taking pictures during services.")
Last night I slept through the Superbowl (sorry, America). This morning I woke up and went to my first class at the Sorbonne. It looked and felt like a normal classroom while I was sitting in class, but then I walked outside and remembered that I was in arguably one of the most famous universities in the world. I'm not sure I'm ever going to get over that.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
je suis la kate perdu.
The last few days have been relatively unexciting. I started classes and have been to most only once - they don't seem too bad. I'm taking Paris Museums, which I'm VERY excited about, because it means that I get to visit all kinds of art museums around Paris. This includes the famous ones - the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay - and the not famous ones - a couple visits are to painter's houses. Also at IES I'm taking Women and Conflict and French grammar classes. I'm officially a Sorbonne student now too. Those classes don't start until next week, and they are The Modern Arab World and Media in the US and France (that is sort of cheating, but I figure no more cheating than the French taking French history!). I'm honestly a little nervous about them. I know I can handle anything English classes throw at me, but in French, with real French students...?
I wasn't supposed to be a Sorbonne student, however. I was supposed to be taking a class at the ICP. Alas, I woke up at 7:30 this morning, got on the metro, got to the ICP in PLENTY of time for my class and it was nowhere to be found. I asked two different administrators AND called IES (all of this happened in French, which gets exceedingly more difficult when you are flustered and it is raining). They said there should be a list of classrooms outside the secretary's office. I found said list and my class wasn't on it. I was super stressed out, exhausted, and discouraged. My mom decided I was "Kate Perdu" (like pain perdu, the french words for french toast). If I was, I NEVER want to be Kate Perdu again, once was enough.
This afternoon I went to change my classes because it is unacceptable to miss classes in France unless you are dying, so IES tells us. They also made a point to inform us that staying out late did not count as dying. The registrar, who I really like because she's a. helpful and b. doesn't talk to me like I'm stupid just because French isn't my first language said that this is a fairly common occurrence. We found some classes to switch into and she showed me on the map where each classroom was. More exciting touristy posts this weekend.
I wasn't supposed to be a Sorbonne student, however. I was supposed to be taking a class at the ICP. Alas, I woke up at 7:30 this morning, got on the metro, got to the ICP in PLENTY of time for my class and it was nowhere to be found. I asked two different administrators AND called IES (all of this happened in French, which gets exceedingly more difficult when you are flustered and it is raining). They said there should be a list of classrooms outside the secretary's office. I found said list and my class wasn't on it. I was super stressed out, exhausted, and discouraged. My mom decided I was "Kate Perdu" (like pain perdu, the french words for french toast). If I was, I NEVER want to be Kate Perdu again, once was enough.
This afternoon I went to change my classes because it is unacceptable to miss classes in France unless you are dying, so IES tells us. They also made a point to inform us that staying out late did not count as dying. The registrar, who I really like because she's a. helpful and b. doesn't talk to me like I'm stupid just because French isn't my first language said that this is a fairly common occurrence. We found some classes to switch into and she showed me on the map where each classroom was. More exciting touristy posts this weekend.
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