MANIFESTATION

After a cold last week kept me in the apartment aside from daily visits to class (and a Bateau Mouche ride down the Seine),  I re-committed myself to seeing a bit of Paris everyday.

                                                                                   The Louvre along the Seine

Saturday we went to Le Marais (in the 4th Arron.) with our class for a tour with our professor. The class was broken into groups that were assigned different topics on the Le Marais to give an exposé (oral presentation) on; my group presented on the museums in Le Marais, which there are many. Le Marais is a very intellectual area of the city that welcomed some of Europe’s greatest poets, artists and philosophers and this energy still remains. It is also a neighborhood popular among the Parisian gay community and has a large Jewish community which means that the Jewish bakeries here are phenomenal. 

That night I went out to dinner with some friends in the Menilmorant area of Paris and then attempted to find a party that our SciencesPo group leader had told us about. Instead of finding this event we stumbled on a hidden gem; La Bellevilloise. The main floor houses a restaurant that bustles with locals and is complete with live music. And in the basement is a club/concert hall. Saturday night they were featuring Jaguar Wright, an African American jazz/r&b singer from Philadelphia. She was outstanding and the best part, as a ‘poor’ college student, is the concert was free. I had never heard of her before but can tell from my quick Wikipedia research that she is actually quite famous and has done work with Jay-Z and The Roots.

On the way to the Metro from La Bellevilloise we walked past an alley that was filled with a few dozen people; our curiosity led us down to check it out (and the fact that there were 7 of us in the group lent some security in this foreign place). In the middle of literally no where there was a grunge club in this shack type building down the alley and next door was a drum circle which we joined. These are the completely random occurences I'm starting to encounter everywhere in the city. Once you get off the touristy drags of the Champs Elysees and away from the Eiffel Tower there is a whole other energy thumping vibrantly among the locals. 

A group of new friends and I set out on what we like to call a Grand Explo (exploration) on Sunday. We went back to Le Marais for a falafel lunch and more of the delicious pastries from a local Jewish bakery. Then we decided to walk to the Grand Opera. Along the way we ran into a pro-life protest made up of easily 8-10,000 participants. 

 The Opera!

When we finally got to the Opera there was live music on the front steps of the building. I love running into live entertainment in big cities like Paris or New York; you never know what you will find and often times sidewalk performers are really talented. 

But what started as a fun encounter of live music quickly took a turn when the pro-choice protesters showed up. We quickly realized that the thousands of protesters we had seen a few minutes before were coming to the square in front of the Opera. The pro-choice protesters clearly didn’t have a permit to protest on the steps of the Opera and within 5 minutes of their chanting they were encircled by a ring of police and 3 of our friends were trapped in the circle of police with the protesters. The police here are clearly well trained in dealing with protesters and I cannot even begin to imagine how much the French government spends every year on police forces for protests. Essentially we were chasing the counter protesters down the street as the police corralled the pro-choice protesters and wouldn’t let our three friends out of the crowd. When they finally broke free from the group of protesters the rest of us got stuck in the approaching throng of pro-life protesters. We were all very relieved when broke away from the protest especially when we saw a police bus heading towards the protest; we saw the bus again later filled with a couple dozen of the protesters. 

“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home.”  ~James Michener

A protest/march is a perfect moment to get freaked out in a foreign city and then all of a sudden my curiosity takes over and I become completely fascinated. That isn’t to say that I am going to run onto the stairs of the Opera and join the protesters but the feeling of being in the thick of something bigger than yourself is the most exhilarating feeling in the world. Maybe that is the journalist in me: being in the middle of it all; observing how the locals do it, the sights and sounds of a new culture and navigating something that starkly differs from home, and then sharing every detail with someone else. 

Pretty much every travel and study abroad 101 guide says to avoid French protests but I found this experience to be a surprisingly peaceful one. This protest was very civil and reminded me more of a County Fair with families and young children in attendance. I think I am more likely to be hit by a car or vespa than experience a hostile French protest. Of course any large scale event like this could turn into something dangerous or out of control but there is a whole side of French culture that you would miss if you run away in fear. 

Saturday was rounded off with a cafe pit-stop near the Madeleine church, a stroll down the Champs-Elysees and a French film called Women are Heroes.

STRUNG OUT

1/19

Too much cafe. Way, way too much cafe. I’m trying to do this whole French cafe thing which means drinking a lot of café in the process. I’ve discovered my new love of café noisette (basically a watered down espresso shot with hazelnut). Here’s my personal assignment for the semester: find the best café in Paris.

Today I tried another café near my apartment called Café Mabillon on Blvd. Saint Germain des Pres. Now I’m feeling jittery and way too awake. Maybe I should stop drinking this stuff....but I won’t.

Other than consuming highly concentrated caffeine liquids, cafes are quite the place for interesting experiences....first, if you are a young girl, you’re more than likely going to get hit on while sitting at the bar (frequently by old French men). Then, if your French skills are like mine you won’t know what the barista/bar tender is saying (again...more head nodding and smiling). But this is also one of the best places to just sit and listen to conversations. Usually eaves dropping isn’t very polite but here I fully encourage it. To my right were 3 older men, probably in their 70’s, discussing random topics of the day from rugby to the weather. On my left was a mega creeper dressed in a leather coat and too-tight pants. When said creep left the bar, the bartender and other customers talked about how he looked like he was ready to fight someone...or at least that’s what I think they said. You can just tell this is a regular hang out for the locals who frequent this cafe. I’m reminded of the show Cheers; here it seems like everyone does “know your name”.

ACCUEIL

Monday was the first day of the Welcome Programme at Sciences Po (L’Universite d’Etudes Politiques) where I will be spending the next four months of my studies taking a range of courses on political history, the constraints of waging war, democracy & its critics, a french language course, European affairs and comparative law. I can already tell that they have their act together here which is a reassuring sign.

As part of the Welcome Programme we are enrolled in L’Enseignement de Methodologie which is essentially a crash course on the SciencesPo and French University system. We are basically learning how to write and do oral presentations for our courses---the format has very strict guidelines that must be followed precisely in order to succeed in the classes. So not only am I dealing with the language barrier and a new school with new professors and students but also a completely new way of thinking and working in the classroom as well. Wish me luck.....

REVELATION

1/18


The French are not what they seem.

Stereotype: cold, rude, snicker at “les studpides Americains” while running around wearing berets with wine in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

Well most of that isn’t true: they do love wine and do their part in keeping the tobacco industry afloat but they blow the rest of the stereotypes out of the water. In only 5 days I have experienced several pleasant encounters with the French that are already disproving these criticisms.

1. Parlez le francais!
If you can, try to speak French with the French
They are much more welcoming when you try to speak French with them. I guess this is just them being creatures of habit. Take recent protests over increasing the national retirement age by just two years as case in point: here tradition reigns supreme.

I’m greeted with a lot more smiles and niceties when I demonstrate that I am trying to communicate in their language. And although I’m far from being a native speaker, for the most part they reply with patience and continue to speak French with me even though they most likely know English also.

WANDERING

1/14
Today we attempted to get a little oriented in the area around our apartment. We walked around the 6th arrondissement and I was happily oblivious to where we were. I blissfully wandered down streets without a care in the world for directions. This is the beauty of living in a foreign city---there is no rush on your time like when you are a 'tourist' in a city. No set itinerary, no tours or museums that you absolutely must hit. Just a loosely guided plan and hours to explore.

We made a visit to Le Bon Marche---a famous Parisian department store.

After dinner we decided to head back out and make a trip down to the Seine to see the river and Louvre at night. Quite a sight! And off in the distance was none other than the sparkling Eiffel Tower.

TOUCH DOWN

1/13
9:05 AM (Paris Time)

We have arrived! YES! The airport makes me feel like we’re on an episode of the Amazing Race...it is so chaotic and people are running around everywhere with luggage. I seriously thought Rachel was going to get knocked out at baggage claim as she continued to get hit like a tennis ball on the left and right as people flung 50 lb+ bags off of the conveyor belt. 

And it is surprisingly warm. Although gloomy, the 55 degree (F) weather is very pleasant and much appreciated after experiencing a deep freeze that left the Rockies with lows in the -15 degree (F) range last week. 

Now to find the shuttle....

Open the door to the shuttle bus and BAM... there is a friend from high school who neither Rachel or I have seen for about 3 years. I knew he is also studying abroad in Paris but seriously what are the odds that we would end up on the same shuttle? These are the moments when you know the world is such a small place!

SURREAL

Paris is the most dramatic city to drive into. First there is the traffic which is better to close your eyes and pretend isn’t there. I have no idea how our shuttle driver is maneuvering the honking cars flying down the street and motorbikes and bicycles that weave through the cars without any fear. 

I know one thing for sure:  I will take public transportation here, thank you very much.

Next your eyes are met with the most beautiful architecture that starkly contrasts the cookie cutter design of American suburb living. Every building adorned with intricate carvings, molding, plaster work. Every store front with individual signs and welcoming cafes you could spend an entire day with a cafe au lait people watching. That’s an invitation I can’t wait to accept. Maybe it’s the lack of sleep...or food....but I feel like I am living in a dream as we weave past the Louvre, Seine, and La Tour Eiffel.

We finally arrive to our little apartment that we will call home for the next 4.5 months right in the heart of the 6th Arrondisement. I am rapidly realizing just what an amazing city this is and how lucky I am to get to study here for a semester....now it's time to explore...but first a nap!

**************

OOH LA LA!

With high-end retail, boutiques and designer stores on every corner, I am quickly discovering that I am living and going to school (starting Monday) in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in one of the most expensive cities in the world. If there were a store like Wal-Mart in France the residents of this area and my future classmates definitely would not shop there or most likely even know what it is. This is quite the posh area which leaves me realizing that I am going to have to look exceptionally put together when I go to school. This is a 360 from what is acceptable in hippie land, aka Boulder, CO. Workout apparel is a major no-no. Tennis shoes? You better be playing tennis if you’re wearing those.

All of that aside this is a wonderful place to get to call my stomping ground for 4.5 months. It is spectacular. The shopping is amazing (although given the high class status let’s be real that most of the stores are not within a college student’s budget). And the gardens and buildings are beautiful. 

I can’t wait to see and explore.

HUH????

My 2.5 years of French help but I’m still not sure what is being said about 25% of the time. I am going to be doing a lot of smiling, head nodding and pretending to understand until I master the accent and rapid lingo that spills out of the native French speakers and sounds nothing like the language that I learned in an  American classroom.  

AWAKE

Here’s the strange thing about jet lag: you are exhausted into oblivion and still can not sleep.

This is what my first night looked like:

Fell asleep at 7:20 pm (old granny much?); woke up at 7:50pm...went back to bed at 8:30 pm....slept until 11 pm....fell back asleep at 11:30 pm...should have slept longer than two hours but yet again was wide awake at 1am....Rachel and I had a chat....back to sleep....awake again at 6am....back to bed....awake at 8am...still exhausted....and then up at 11 am Paris time and still tired.

WHAT IS THIS?

TAKE OFF

1/12

And so the adventure begins......

We set out from DIA with an 11:20 am flight with a connection through Montreal. Montreal’s airport is very nice and way more French than either Rachel or I anticipated. We had a....lovely?....conversation with a French Canadian who continued to tell us over and over again that he could tell we are Americans because we smile when we walk by strangers and gave us a thumbs up about 15 times during the 10 minute chat. 

Our connection was 3 hours long so we got some dinner and then proceeded to watch a belligerent senior citizen get arrested at the gate. Wow! He just kept yelling at the security guards who requested to see his boarding pass and passport after, I’m assuming, they saw him stumbling to the gate. Mind you he wasn’t even on our flight and was sitting at the gate for Air Canada flight 870 with service to Paris. He then decided that the guards must have wanted to search him, they didn’t, and so he continued to yell “just search me”.  12 additional guards and 1 German Shepherd later and he was escorted away in cuffs. 

Moral of the story: don’t drink and fly.