can't stop, won't stop.

I officially have one week left in Paris. Somehow, I'm just not sure that's true. This whole experience has been filled with ups and downs, pros and cons, goods and bads. Was every single moment what I thought it would be? No. Did I learn a lot about myself, living in a city, and makin' it on my own? Yes. The days seemed to last forever but the weeks and months flew by, suddenly making the end of the program in single digits.
But regardless of what's behind me, I'm currently trying to live my last couple days to their fullest. Yes, it's almost finals, but luckily I've done well this semester so my grades don't depend on them so much. This means I've been enjoying paris as it's meant to be seen, in the sunshine and warm. I've had tons of picnics and wandering days. But no matter how much I do, just like everyone said it would be, I have tons of things that are not crossed off on my to-do list. Which explains why I'm writing this entry on my phone on the metro - there's too much to do to just sit around!
My fam gets here Friday and thus begins the epic France vacation 2010.
But now I've gotta get off the metro and go live!

springtime in paris.

As most of you surely know, the weather drastically affects my mood. I'm unsure why I thought Boston was the right town for me. Regardless. It's now, finally, springtime in Paris. What I've been waiting for this whole time. My nose is pink with sunburn and I am blissfully happy. The flowers are blooming all over - tulips (my favorite). I can run outside without getting frostbite. In essence, spring here is everything the songs say it is.
As it has been getting warmer, I've been doing more and more walking. It's become my favorite part of being here - walking from place to place means you get to see a lot more than just the inside of a metro stop / a museum. In fact, for those of you that visit here, I highly suggest walking as opposed to taking the metro. The famous part of the city (excluding Monmartre) is very walk-able. You can walk Notre Dame to the Eiffel tower in a morning and see all the sights along the way. I have tons of pictures, per usual, but I'm exhausted from this weekend. My friends from Tufts came to visit, and it was so nice to have them here! Lindsay and I spent all day Friday and Saturday on the go, walking around, seeing things, laying in front of the Eiffel Tower, etc. I'm really starting to feel at ease here. Unfortunately, I'm leaving three weeks from today to start our French vaycay. But, it is nice to say that I feel like I really got to know Paris. Et, bien sur, je l'aime. (And, of course, i love it.) It is a really wonderful place with so much to offer.
It has been hard, though, fighting the American stereotype. You don't quite realize how bad American tourists are until you look around. There are little cultural things that make us look really bad - like the fact it's incredibly impolite not to say hello to someone (in a restaurant, a store, etc). I've made that faux pas a couple times and the frenchpeople were not pleased. I never quite realized how presumptuous it is to assume that everyone's gonna speak English.
Also, since I feel like I haven't talked about her enough, I LOVE my host mother, Mimi. She is incredibly warm and inviting and I like to think of her as an aunt. I live a very independent life from her, but she's always interested (and patient) as I tell her stories from my day. I really feel at home here and I'm so lucky for that.
I think this post was a little of this and a little of that, but nothing really exciting has happened recently. I'm 3/4 done with my Sorbonne work, which is really encouraging. I only have one paper left, and now that I'm FINALLY comfortable with the french set-up, I feel like I can do it. But mostly, my life is as routine as it can get when you live somewhere like Paris and the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and the Luxembourg Gardens are just around the corner.