We had our first classes today - in a smallish room with no air condition, at least 90 degrees outside and high humidity. One fan. Classroom door closed, about 20 people in the room. Ahhhhh!
Anyway, my classes both seem interesting and I like both of the profs. The first one is very intense and doesn't want us to do anything (including the final paper) in English, but he delights in the guillotine almost as much as I do! We're even having a whole lecture on the history and usage of the guillotine. A trade off, I guess. He is assigning us a lot of work but I'm getting some of it over with tomorrow - all these history classes start off with the French Revolution so I'm always stuck with presenting during one of the first sessions. It doesn't look like any guillotines are involved in the readings. :( (The class is on violence in French society, so I was rather disappointed.)
The second course is on the antillais (ugh, I'm sorry, I can't think of that word in English - is there one? Caribbean is too general.) and Haitian diaspora. The prof is antillais himself and I'm kind of excited to get acclimated to a new accent, although his is not strong. I'm also hoping we'll do some work with Creole, that would be interesting! We're mostly reading fiction works and personal essays for that class, which is a major change from history/sociology/politics/anthro works we read in other classes.
Also, hi Financial Aid people! I'm glad to see you're here! :)
I edited this because it seems like the linked picture was giving some trouble? Not sure, but I took it out.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Orientation
Monday we had to go to the NYU campus to do a terribly pointless orientation. They told us things like how to ride the Metro and the professors weren't there. Sigh. It was nice though, to get an idea of where everything is in the little complex. There is a teeny library, a little student sitting/study area, and a really lovely courtyard. They said next week 100 undergrads are coming, though, so I imagine the peacefulness will not linger.
It was super hot and humid, around 98 degrees, so by the time we were done with the orientation everyone was pretty grumpy and annoyed. Then they told us we should go get our books and course packs before classes tomorrow so, as dutiful students, we went to the bookstore (maybe 3 blocks away) and the printing place (a 10-15 minute walk)..and the course pack wasn't done. Awesome. So we were all very hot and sweaty and unhappy and for nothing. A few people came down to my area (the Latin Quarter) to get some cold drinks afterwards. Since none of our apartments are air conditioned cafes are usually better places to hang around than at home.
Things kind of stop in Paris when people get uncomfortable - too much heat or snow will drive everyone to cafes or bars and work slows down. They're okay with a lot of rain, though. Protests tend to happen in the summer as well, though I'm not sure if it's the general restlessness and heat or because students have more time on their hands to stir things up.
It was super hot and humid, around 98 degrees, so by the time we were done with the orientation everyone was pretty grumpy and annoyed. Then they told us we should go get our books and course packs before classes tomorrow so, as dutiful students, we went to the bookstore (maybe 3 blocks away) and the printing place (a 10-15 minute walk)..and the course pack wasn't done. Awesome. So we were all very hot and sweaty and unhappy and for nothing. A few people came down to my area (the Latin Quarter) to get some cold drinks afterwards. Since none of our apartments are air conditioned cafes are usually better places to hang around than at home.
Things kind of stop in Paris when people get uncomfortable - too much heat or snow will drive everyone to cafes or bars and work slows down. They're okay with a lot of rain, though. Protests tend to happen in the summer as well, though I'm not sure if it's the general restlessness and heat or because students have more time on their hands to stir things up.
Monday, June 27, 2011
For your viewing pleasure
The first one is a street post pride parade, and the second is me trying to record the music outside my window. The video for that one is kind of useless, I just did it for the sound.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
I found the market
But panicked and only got strawberries! It was very overwhelming. I'll go back on Tuesday and hopefully there won't be as many people - I felt silly because there is a rhythm to the produce areas and since I haven't been very confident in my French being up to par (I was rather lazy with it this past semester and spoke a lot of Franglais although I understand everything perfectly) I thought I would stand back and watch a bit.
I'm going to go somewhere today but I can't decide where. Trying to think of a place that will be relatively non-crowded and tourist-free on a Sunday is really difficult in Paris. I'm not sure I want to do any churches today as you never know when services will be on weekends. I might end up going to the Paris mosque, which is pretty close to me, or the Arènes de Lutèce (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arènes_de_Lutèce) just a couple of blocks away. The Museum of the Middle Ages? Maybe.
I'm going to go somewhere today but I can't decide where. Trying to think of a place that will be relatively non-crowded and tourist-free on a Sunday is really difficult in Paris. I'm not sure I want to do any churches today as you never know when services will be on weekends. I might end up going to the Paris mosque, which is pretty close to me, or the Arènes de Lutèce (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arènes_de_Lutèce) just a couple of blocks away. The Museum of the Middle Ages? Maybe.
To my friends
As many may know, it was gay pride day in a few major cities, including NYC and Paris. And NY state passed laws okaying gay marriage, woo! So of course that all means the pride parade here in Paris was insane, as were the post-parade festivities. Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the parade today, just the after parties. I met up with a bunch of NYU people to celebrate: we had dinner and roamed around the Marais, where most of the the gay clubs and bars are in Paris.
It was COMPLETELY NUTS. I can't even describe how packed the streets were. I have a few pictures to give a general idea:
These are streets where normally cars have no trouble. At one point a small car tried to get by and people mobbed it, pushing it from side to side and pouring beer over it. (They didn't actually mean to turn it over, they were being typically Parisian, and the guys inside couldn't stop laughing). We even ran into one of the visiting NYU professors! It was like being in a very packed club, except it was a whole street! It was a ton of fun - the people were super friendly, the police let people take beer out onto the streets, people were singing, dancing, playing drums. My closest friend in the program and I went out afterwards to a few bars and the atmosphere was just great; it was the biggest, most lively celebration I've ever been to.
I took a video but it doesn't really do justice - and Blogger doesn't seem to want to upload it. I was trying to get the drum circle but you mostly hear the music blasting from the bars, anyway.
Then of course came the bane of my Parisian existence: the Metro closes around 2am. We left around that time and so had to walk home. Google tells me it was a bit over 3 km. Now, I know parents, grandparents, etc, are going to be scandalized that I walked home from the Marais at 2am but let me tell you, I am a pro, and I would NEVER do that in NYC. I used my patented NYC walk (super fast, no eye contact, angry look on the face) and I only had one guy exclaiming after me, excusez-moi, excusez-moi! It's a "no one will mess with me" walk, and I am good at it. I got home safe and sound; the biggest challenge was unlocking my apartment door (many will testify that opening doors is one of my major problems in life). My feet are sore, I'm sweaty and gross, but it was completely worth it! I had a great time.
On the walk home I attempted to capture a few landmarks in their magical nighttime splendor. Anyone who has walked Paris and night can tell you there is something special about places like Notre Dame and the Seine bridges when everything else is dark. The pictures don't give you a very good idea. Here is the Tour de Saint Jacques, described by one of my friends as "a Lord of the Rings-looking thing"
From the Notre Dame bridge looking east:
And, of course, Notre Dame at night:
I don't know if you can tell, but there was a light on in the north tower (and fire-eaters still performing in the square). I liked to imagine it was Quasimodo, getting the bells ready for Sunday mass.
And now it's almost 3:30am so I'll get to bed. To the market in the morning!
It was COMPLETELY NUTS. I can't even describe how packed the streets were. I have a few pictures to give a general idea:
These are streets where normally cars have no trouble. At one point a small car tried to get by and people mobbed it, pushing it from side to side and pouring beer over it. (They didn't actually mean to turn it over, they were being typically Parisian, and the guys inside couldn't stop laughing). We even ran into one of the visiting NYU professors! It was like being in a very packed club, except it was a whole street! It was a ton of fun - the people were super friendly, the police let people take beer out onto the streets, people were singing, dancing, playing drums. My closest friend in the program and I went out afterwards to a few bars and the atmosphere was just great; it was the biggest, most lively celebration I've ever been to.
I took a video but it doesn't really do justice - and Blogger doesn't seem to want to upload it. I was trying to get the drum circle but you mostly hear the music blasting from the bars, anyway.
Then of course came the bane of my Parisian existence: the Metro closes around 2am. We left around that time and so had to walk home. Google tells me it was a bit over 3 km. Now, I know parents, grandparents, etc, are going to be scandalized that I walked home from the Marais at 2am but let me tell you, I am a pro, and I would NEVER do that in NYC. I used my patented NYC walk (super fast, no eye contact, angry look on the face) and I only had one guy exclaiming after me, excusez-moi, excusez-moi! It's a "no one will mess with me" walk, and I am good at it. I got home safe and sound; the biggest challenge was unlocking my apartment door (many will testify that opening doors is one of my major problems in life). My feet are sore, I'm sweaty and gross, but it was completely worth it! I had a great time.
On the walk home I attempted to capture a few landmarks in their magical nighttime splendor. Anyone who has walked Paris and night can tell you there is something special about places like Notre Dame and the Seine bridges when everything else is dark. The pictures don't give you a very good idea. Here is the Tour de Saint Jacques, described by one of my friends as "a Lord of the Rings-looking thing"
From the Notre Dame bridge looking east:
And, of course, Notre Dame at night:
I don't know if you can tell, but there was a light on in the north tower (and fire-eaters still performing in the square). I liked to imagine it was Quasimodo, getting the bells ready for Sunday mass.
And now it's almost 3:30am so I'll get to bed. To the market in the morning!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Je suis flâneuse
I learned a great word in class last year: flâneur. Wikipedia tells me the literal meanings of the word are "stroller,"""lounger," "saunterer," "loafer," but I learned it in the sense Baudelaire used it, someone who strolls through city streets to better understand and experience it. A flâneur is a resident of the city but at the same time is a detached observer - he has a relationship with the city itself, and its culture, rather than individuals. In Canadian French it apparently has connotations of loitering, but we'll forget about that.
As someone who has traveled a lot around foreign cities, I understand that the best way to get to know a place is just to stroll around the streets. I love that there is a word for this in French and I determined to be a grande flâneuse on this trip to Paris.
However, my first order of business today was to find some groceries. I woke up and was pretty hungry - I finished all my snacks last night and subsisted on tea from then on - but I knew there are weekend markets in the immediate area so I was counting on getting some fresh produce and such in the morning. I got up bright and early (meaning about 9), checked the days and times of the markets and set off to the closest one. Unfortunately I must have mixed them all up because when I got to the square it was empty. Oh well, there are two others within walking distance and I have to get to know the neighborhood better, anyway. I've heard great things about the organic market on the Blvd Raspail so even though it's a longer walk - the way I went it's about 3 km - I thought I had read it was open today so I decided to go. I tried to look it up on my phone just to make sure but couldn't find anything. Again, oh well.
My walk took me past the Pantheon
[something like "To the great men recognized by the country/homeland"]
Which is next to the most well known and prestigious high school in France, Lycée Henri IV, founded around 1800 I would guess.
And the church St Etienne-du-Mont, which was started in the 13th century and an incredible mix of architectural eras. The name is misleading as its most important shrine is actually that of Ste. Geneviève, the patroness of Paris.
More on that church at a later time - the interior deserves its own post.
And finally, the Pantheon is across the street from the Sorbonne's law school (much cooler than most American law schools, no?)
All that in one square!
Then onwards to the Luxembourg gardens. Here are just a few of the lovely scenes from the gardens:
Finally I hit the Blvd Raspail and..there is no market. Very hungry by this point, I go to the Metro to get home. On the way back I stop at a supermarket to pick up some essentials and something I can eat soon. I was counting on finding a bakery between there and home but no luck so I am still baguette-less. :( However I do have some food here so that's a start, I guess.
When I got home I looked at where I had cleverly noted the days of the markets on my computer rather than my phone and discovered I had everything backwards - Raspail and the closest one are on Sundays and the third is Saturdays, not the other way around.
In other news, the gay pride parade is today and my friends and I are planning to go. I still have to shower and do some other things, though, so I don't know if I'll end up getting to the parade itself, probably only the festivities after. I think my primary mission today is to find a boulangerie (bakery).
Edit: I belatedly realized I should give some sort of background on the Pantheon. As you might suspect, it's nothing like the Roman monument of the same name, which was originally a temple to all the gods and was filled with statues of the major ones. It's the same idea though - the main part of the Parisian one is essentially the same design. It was built pre-French Revolution as a church but post-Revolution it was turned into a sort of burial place of the most illustrious men of France (at the time only men were thought great enough to be there, but Marie Curie remains the only woman who has the honor). It's full of intellectuals and writers rather than people like politicians - those who have truly contributed to the prestige of French culture. Rousseau, Voltaire, Hugo, Zola, Leon Gambetta, André Malraux, and [symbolically] Aimé Césaire are amongst those buried in the Pantheon.
As someone who has traveled a lot around foreign cities, I understand that the best way to get to know a place is just to stroll around the streets. I love that there is a word for this in French and I determined to be a grande flâneuse on this trip to Paris.
However, my first order of business today was to find some groceries. I woke up and was pretty hungry - I finished all my snacks last night and subsisted on tea from then on - but I knew there are weekend markets in the immediate area so I was counting on getting some fresh produce and such in the morning. I got up bright and early (meaning about 9), checked the days and times of the markets and set off to the closest one. Unfortunately I must have mixed them all up because when I got to the square it was empty. Oh well, there are two others within walking distance and I have to get to know the neighborhood better, anyway. I've heard great things about the organic market on the Blvd Raspail so even though it's a longer walk - the way I went it's about 3 km - I thought I had read it was open today so I decided to go. I tried to look it up on my phone just to make sure but couldn't find anything. Again, oh well.
My walk took me past the Pantheon
[something like "To the great men recognized by the country/homeland"]
Which is next to the most well known and prestigious high school in France, Lycée Henri IV, founded around 1800 I would guess.
And the church St Etienne-du-Mont, which was started in the 13th century and an incredible mix of architectural eras. The name is misleading as its most important shrine is actually that of Ste. Geneviève, the patroness of Paris.
More on that church at a later time - the interior deserves its own post.
And finally, the Pantheon is across the street from the Sorbonne's law school (much cooler than most American law schools, no?)
All that in one square!
Then onwards to the Luxembourg gardens. Here are just a few of the lovely scenes from the gardens:
Finally I hit the Blvd Raspail and..there is no market. Very hungry by this point, I go to the Metro to get home. On the way back I stop at a supermarket to pick up some essentials and something I can eat soon. I was counting on finding a bakery between there and home but no luck so I am still baguette-less. :( However I do have some food here so that's a start, I guess.
When I got home I looked at where I had cleverly noted the days of the markets on my computer rather than my phone and discovered I had everything backwards - Raspail and the closest one are on Sundays and the third is Saturdays, not the other way around.
In other news, the gay pride parade is today and my friends and I are planning to go. I still have to shower and do some other things, though, so I don't know if I'll end up getting to the parade itself, probably only the festivities after. I think my primary mission today is to find a boulangerie (bakery).
Edit: I belatedly realized I should give some sort of background on the Pantheon. As you might suspect, it's nothing like the Roman monument of the same name, which was originally a temple to all the gods and was filled with statues of the major ones. It's the same idea though - the main part of the Parisian one is essentially the same design. It was built pre-French Revolution as a church but post-Revolution it was turned into a sort of burial place of the most illustrious men of France (at the time only men were thought great enough to be there, but Marie Curie remains the only woman who has the honor). It's full of intellectuals and writers rather than people like politicians - those who have truly contributed to the prestige of French culture. Rousseau, Voltaire, Hugo, Zola, Leon Gambetta, André Malraux, and [symbolically] Aimé Césaire are amongst those buried in the Pantheon.
Friday, June 24, 2011
I'm here!
After a long trip (but not nearly as long as last time) I am finally back in Paris! I'm pretty tired so excuse any rambling in this post.
So first, my street is adorable, as is my apartment and the girl from whom I'm subletting. I'm living on one of those old, narrow, cobblestone streets with very little car traffic. Here's the street from my window:
The building seems old but not too old (many apartment buildings like this in Paris are from the 18th century) - narrow hallways, a very tiny elevator with old fashioned doors, old and somewhat worn floors. My apartment, however, is actually bigger than the apartment I had in Brooklyn and is very cheery. Almost too cheery for me, maybe. I kind of suspect the girl, or whoever had this apartment before her, is an art student. The walls and ceiling are all painted with brightly colored murals; at least they're kind of pretty.
I really love the windows, they're probably my favorite part of the apartment. They're old rickety but let in lots of light and have pretty, flowy curtains.
The girl left me with lots of interesting utensils and assorted cooking implements (a juicer, a soup pot yay!, mismatched mugs, and strangely, two unopened bottles of champagne) but no trash can.
Anyway, the biggest surprise was this lovely view from my window:
I knew this place was very close to the Pantheon but I forgot it's at the top of a hill. I love this area! On the cab ride coming here we drove through my old neighborhood and I got a little nostalgic, but I realized I'm living a lot closer to it than I thought. In fact, we went right by Aurelien's apartment (I have no idea whether he still lives there or not)! It was like fate, obviously.
It's a little chilly here in Paris and I'm very tired so I think I'll probably take a nap rather than go out and wander as I had planned. The downside to this is I'm left with only the food I picked up at the airport: some crackers, a mini bag of pretzels, and a few Reece's cups. Sigh.
PS I had to go back and edit this because I'm SURE someone is going to comment that my picture makes it look like the Pantheon is sinking on one side. Alas, if one is to read this blog one must deal with crooked pictures.
So first, my street is adorable, as is my apartment and the girl from whom I'm subletting. I'm living on one of those old, narrow, cobblestone streets with very little car traffic. Here's the street from my window:
The building seems old but not too old (many apartment buildings like this in Paris are from the 18th century) - narrow hallways, a very tiny elevator with old fashioned doors, old and somewhat worn floors. My apartment, however, is actually bigger than the apartment I had in Brooklyn and is very cheery. Almost too cheery for me, maybe. I kind of suspect the girl, or whoever had this apartment before her, is an art student. The walls and ceiling are all painted with brightly colored murals; at least they're kind of pretty.
I really love the windows, they're probably my favorite part of the apartment. They're old rickety but let in lots of light and have pretty, flowy curtains.
The girl left me with lots of interesting utensils and assorted cooking implements (a juicer, a soup pot yay!, mismatched mugs, and strangely, two unopened bottles of champagne) but no trash can.
Anyway, the biggest surprise was this lovely view from my window:
I knew this place was very close to the Pantheon but I forgot it's at the top of a hill. I love this area! On the cab ride coming here we drove through my old neighborhood and I got a little nostalgic, but I realized I'm living a lot closer to it than I thought. In fact, we went right by Aurelien's apartment (I have no idea whether he still lives there or not)! It was like fate, obviously.
It's a little chilly here in Paris and I'm very tired so I think I'll probably take a nap rather than go out and wander as I had planned. The downside to this is I'm left with only the food I picked up at the airport: some crackers, a mini bag of pretzels, and a few Reece's cups. Sigh.
PS I had to go back and edit this because I'm SURE someone is going to comment that my picture makes it look like the Pantheon is sinking on one side. Alas, if one is to read this blog one must deal with crooked pictures.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Testing...
Hello again everyone! This is a test post to get my feet back into the blogging waters. I'm still busy packing and getting ready to depart so there's not much to say right now.
Welcome back to Paris and to my (not very) exciting blog! I'll only be staying about two months this time around and I don't plan on going anywhere particularly exotic so I doubt it will be as thrilling as last time. There will be an academic trip up north, a short trip to Marseille, and possibly another quick trip along the way - Amsterdam or Switzerland seem most likely.
An update will be coming in a couple of days while I settle into my new apartment. Au revoir until then!
Welcome back to Paris and to my (not very) exciting blog! I'll only be staying about two months this time around and I don't plan on going anywhere particularly exotic so I doubt it will be as thrilling as last time. There will be an academic trip up north, a short trip to Marseille, and possibly another quick trip along the way - Amsterdam or Switzerland seem most likely.
An update will be coming in a couple of days while I settle into my new apartment. Au revoir until then!
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