“Carpe diem! Rejoice while you are alive; enjoy the day; live life to the fullest; make the most of what you have. It is later than you think.” - Horace

Hello all! I have had a great last couple of days in Paris. I booked my flight to Dublin, and we are planning exactly what we are going to do during 7th week break. So far it is five girls who are going on the trip, which is a perfect number. I can hardly wait! We are going to Dublin, Edinburgh and then London. I know this sounds American, but I am excited to go to countries where they speak English. I know, I know, that is a horrible thing to say. But I'm sorry, I miss the security of walking into an establishment and knowing that there is no possible language barrier. But we are probably going to go to Bath for a day trip. I love that when that trip was mentioned we all immediately thought of Jane Austen characters. Ahh, it is nice to be among University of Chicago students.

Yesterday, we had our French conversation groups. The problem with this is that we have learned minimal French, so it really wasn't so much a conversation as it was just us ordering crepes and talking with our conversation leader. I really wish we were learning verbs and vocabulary words because it would make life a lot easier, but oh well.  Later last night we went to the Mix dance club again, which was tons of fun! We got there before there was a super long line, so we didn't have to stand in the cold. I really love dancing, especially with these girls. It is nice to let loose and have some fun.

Today I woke up extremely excited because I got to see Megan. It had been too long since I have since this incredibly important and amazing individual. We met at the Louvre and when I saw her I sprinted into her arms. People were probably looking at me thinking "That crazy American", but I didn't care. I met Ryan, Elizabeth, and Sarah, the people Megan traveled with to Paris. They were extremely nice. We wandered in the Louvre for a few hours. We saw Hamurabi's Code, The Mona Lisa, and a plethora of other pieces. The place is so enormous that I will need to go again to cover it all. One thing that did bother me about the museum was that there was a room where you could see how they store some of the artifacts, and I know I am no expert, but it didn't look like they were being properly stored. Also, I had to yell at an Asian man because he was taking pictures with a flash and the signs posted frequently throughout the museum said that was not allowed. So of course when he took a picture of a painting with the flash I informed him that this was not permitted because it causes harm to the paintings. I hate people's non-existent appreciation for history. True, I was not informed on a lot of the paintings and so my appreciation level for them is not the same as someone who has studied them, but I comprehend that damage can be done and so out of respect I don't use a flash with my camera. Wow that was a long rant.

After the Louvre we went to this brasserie by Notre Dame and I had a Monsieur Croque. It was absolutely delicious. When we were done with our meal I had to say goodbye to Megan. This was truly difficult to do. I loved talking to her and hearing about her trips and adventures. I could have spent the entire day with her and not covered everything I had to say or hear everything she had to say. I cannot wait until I see her again so we can complain about not being in Europe. Both of us love it so much here. I wouldn't mind finding a nice little place and living with Megan. We'd live it up! But alas, such dreams need to be put on the back burner and the reality of the situation must be remembered.

Tonight we went out to this American bar for my friend, Daria's, birthday celebration. This bar had happy hour with 4.50 Euro cocktails, which is SUPER cheap here. I enjoyed a daquiri and frozen B52. It was so much fun to go out and enjoy drinks with friends. After drinks, we had crepes and french fries. I love the crepes from the street vendors. They make them right there, and they are SO good.

One thing about today that made me sad was when Megan and I both expressed strong emotions for not leaving Europe. I remember receiving my email from UChicago saying I was accepted into the Paris program. It was during reading period of winter quarter. I screamed, jumped on the bed, texted a bazillion people, and ran throughout my dorm shouting excitedly. I blew off studying for exams so I could take virtual tours of various Paris locations. For the first time in weeks, I was truly happy. I needed that acceptance. I needed something to infuse me with life. And now I am here, living it and loving it even more. It is difficult to imagine going back to the US. In France there are no negative memories or string, but rather I am creating amazing memories that I will cherish with me forever. I know it is early in my program to be writing such things, but after being with friends and having such fun, I don't want it to end. I want to be able to take the Metro to Notre Dame or the Louvre. I want to get a simple sandwich or coffee. I want to continually be surrounded by the beauty of this city. 

And now I await the time for when I need to catch my train for AMSTERDAM! Cannot wait to blog about that experience. Bon weekend!

Some pictures

Here are some pictures from my trip for those family members who do not have facebook.

Mom and I in first class

Eiffel Tower!

Notre Dame

Louvre

Clare in front of Chambord

Protest at the Bastille

Falafel!

“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” - Elie Wiesel

Today was an eventful day. I woke up early so that I could get to Kayser and work on my group project. I had to take the tram because there is a strike by the public-sector workers, and so the RER is closed down. For those of you who know me really well, you know that I have no sense of direction whatsoever. So even though I got mapquest walking direction from the tram to the center,  I found myself lost in Paris at 7 am this morning and the credit on my phone had run out. It wasn't until 8:30 am that I reached my destination, scared and frustrated. I treated myself to a lemon tarte for my stressful morning, and vowed to myself that from now on I will reload my phone as soon as it gets low on texts or minutes. I mean I was the very definition of lost. I had no phone, don't know French, and I don't know the general area. But by some miracle I found my way, and at least now I know how to get from the tram to school.

I had my first presentation today in class with a group. We presented on Montaigne, which was difficult to do because he is a stream of conscious writer who contradicts himself every other page. Also, my professor, Philippe Desan, is one of the leading scholars of Montaigne, so there was no way to make up stuff or pretend like I knew what I was doing - I HAD to know what I was talking about. Fortunately the presentation went really well, but I must say that Montaigne's and my professors view that history does not have a lot of credence in our lives is something that I will always disagree with. Without history we would have nothing. History is what we build upon, and without the past, one would keep repeating the same mistakes. Granted there are some mistakes that man will always repeat, but we wouldn't be in the same position today if the knowledge of yesterday was not there.

I want to get back to the strike though. They are striking because there was a raise in the retirement age. This strike was not that new of news to us. We were informed last week that we would have to take a different mode of transportation starting today, and that it was an indefinite strike. I applaud the attitude of strikes here. In Minnesota, there was the nurse's strike and it was a lot of people's opinions that the nurses were wrong. This effected their lives, and so they didn't like it. That is not the case here. In fact, Jake and I went down to the Bastille area today and protested with the strikers and sympathizers. There were no people on the sides of the streets yelling at them and no signs telling them to stop. All we experienced were supportive people. There were children singing songs, concerts on the Bastille, and stickers of all sorts everywhere. And then when we were on public transportation today, we were packed in closer than sardines, but no one was complaining. This is how it should be. In the US the corporations are too big and powerful, which makes it hard for unions to strike because the companies will just bring in temporary workers. It diminishes the power of the union, which is dangerous because corporations already hold a lot of power and often the people who make the decisions that effect the union workers, are so distant from the situation that they do not care who they are impacting. Strikes are a direct and powerful way to voice opinions, but I feel like in the US they have lost some of their lustor.

As for the rest of my day, Jake and I wandered around the Bastille area, saw where VICTOR HUGO lived and ate a falafel that was absolutely delicious. It was fun to just walk around a part of Paris without having time constraints or being in a big group. Well I am off to plan my itinerary for my trips to Edinburgh, Dublin, and London!

Until next time.

Observations of Paris

I am sitting here at my desk with the window open and you know what I hear? Nothing. There is silence. It's absolutely wonderful. And in the morning when I get up to go to Kayser bakery for my cafe and perhaps a chocolate croissant, there will also be silence. I love this. I love that in this city, there isn't perpetual noise, but rather the city does sleep.

Another thing about Paris I absolutely adore is its lack of love for technology. When I am on the RER or tram I hardly see people engrossed with their phones. Yes, some people listen to their ipods, but they aren't continuously texting, bbming, and what have you. Rather, they are reading, talking to others or just sitting in a personal meditation. Personally I enjoy looking out the windows. For me, I am overwhelmed with the city and its architecture. There are no skyscrapers or other monstrous buildings. In fact, I have no seen a single home. People don't compete for the nicest, biggest house or the most kept lawn. Rather people live in apartments where they can open their windows, step on a ledge and enjoy a smoke while watching the life of the city. And the architecture is so simple and gorgeous. Even though a lot of the buildings are designed the same, they are done in such an elegant way that it doesn't have the monotony of the suburban homes in the USA. These buildings have character and charm that allows one to forgive theirself for spending abhorrent amounts of money to live there.

But I guess people don't need a lot of living space, since it seems like most people are always walking their dogs, at cafes or walking around. Today me and four girls went to the Saint Michel area and walked around, and then did some reading at a coffee shop. And even though most things are closed on Sundays, the area was bustling with people.

One thing I do need to do is make a budget. I am amazed at how quickly money is being spent. Granted, I am only going to be here for a short while, and how often do these opportunities come? But at the same time, I do need to be responsible and not go through my money like water. So me and some girls discussed making dinner together a couple times a week, which should cut down on some costs.

I am getting excited for Amsterdam this weekend. Mariel and I discussed some of the things we are going to do, and for sure we are going to the Van Gogh museum and Anne Frank's House. Since I am such a self-proclaimed history nerd, be prepared for sappy posts after my trip about the amazing history of it all and how some more of my dreams are coming true. But there is a change of plans for me. Instead of going to Italy for a week, I will be going to London, Dublin, and somewhere in Scotland with Grace and Lauren. And then after my program is done I want to do to Italy for a week with my dad (Please say yes dad!) I am excited for Dublin because that means I will probably get to see Sean! Another piece of good news I received today was that Ashlee is coming to Paris! I am so excited for her to come. I am going to plan an amazing weekend for her.

I also talked to Veasna today which was awesome. I admit I do miss Chicago and all my friends back home, but at the same time I find it hard to think of leaving this city that has captured my heart. I honestly believe I was meant to be born here.

Well all time for bed. Pleasant dreams and until next time.

Overdue - my apologies

Sorry for not posting for a while, but I have been quite busy!

On Wednesday we had a wine tasting at school. We were taught the proper way to observe, smell, swirl, and taste the wine. I learned that I prefer white to red wine. We also learned the proper cheeses to eat with the different wines. It's like the French center their meals around wine, and they truly enjoy it, rather than binge drink or drink it just to drink it. It's truly an art form.

Thursday I went out to this club with a bunch of people from the program. It was a lot of fun. It was international night so there people there from various programs. I met a really great guy, and we talked for an hour or so. Although he was French, he looked German. It was nice to have a conversation with someone, rather than being hit on or thinking that there was an ulterior motive for him talking to me. It is nice to hear that you're beautiful, but when someone says it up front you know they are not looking for anything. I hope I meet more people like him, because he made my night.

On Friday we had an excursion day where we went to Chateau de Chambord and the Royal Chateau de Blois. There are literally no words in the English language that can express my wonderment, amazement, joy, etc. for seeing these buildings. At the Chateau de Chambord I literally ran my hands a long the walls, wondering what they have seen. I know this sounds creepy or cheesy - your pick - but I could just feel the history. These places contain so much that it just overwhelms you. It makes you feel insignificant and worthless, but in the best possible way. Seeing something so grand just puts it all into perspective, and just lets you know that your life is so temporary.

Today I went to the Musee d'Orsay which was amazing. Again, I stared in awe as I was looking at some of van Gogh's works. Too bad I wasn't allowed to take pictures. Later, I went out with Jake and we went into Paris for dinner and drinks. I had escargot today for the first time, and it was surprisingly delicious. Then we walked around and had some drinks. It was a lot of fun.

Well it is late, and so my typing abilities are quite poor right now. Goodnight.

Insomnia Post

I cannot sleep. There must be something wrong with me because I have seriously not been getting enough sleep. Oh well, it presents a good opportunity to blog.

Today was my first day of class, and it went really well. My Civilization professor is going to be great. He has the attitude where the students make their education what they want it to be and it is not his job to force us to do anything. I really prefer professors like that because they don't waste time trying to make students be interested in the class. We went over general information about the class and I am excited to dive into the reading that is for tomorrow. We are discussing usury, which is when you give something to someone but expect more back in return. Funny that was considered a cardinal sin when now it is life. My French class was also great. I wish that I was in the class with all of my other English Civ peers, but at least Casey is in it. I am excited to actually learn French and hopefully one day I can become proficient at it so that I can have semi-coherent conversations with people.

For lunch we went to Kayser's where they sell a sandwich and drink for only 3.5 Euro. So I know where I am going to be eating for the next 10 weeks! One would think it would make more sense to grocery shop, but when you divide the prices up, it isn't really cheaper. Crazy how expensive everything is, but at the same time I feel like people are smarter with their money. They don't let material possessions define them in the way that Americans do. Sure there are bricolage stores that have junk, but usually when you walk into a store the things that they are selling are things that people need, rather than the dollar section like at Target. It is refreshing to be in a culture that doesn't just accumulate crap, but rather gets what they need and is done with it.

After class me and two people went shopping. It was great to look at French fashion and I bought two tops that are adorable. French woman are so classy. They wear clothing that actually fits them, and they do not flaunt their bodies in the ways that so many women do in the US. I am guilty of wearing outfits that are too short or too low cut, but I much prefer to wear a comfortable, flattering top and jeans. I cannot wait to go shopping more in Paris.

Something that I have to mention is that there was a State Department warning given out that a group of jihadists are part of an Al-Qaeda plan to launch terrorist attacks in European cities. I understand the fear that some people may have with this, but at the same time I am tired. I am tired of going to CNN or other news stations and reading about this attack, this bombing, this murder, this threat. I am tired of being told I should be scared or that I need to take these precautions. Before I left and even still while I am here people have been telling me to "be safe". The fact of the matter is, if someone is going to bomb something I have no control over that. If someone is going to walk up to me and demand my money, I have no control over that. I cannot stop my life because of a "what if". What I do have control over is what I do, and I choose to live in Paris the way I always wanted to. I am going to visit all the sites I wanted to. I am going to walk around and experience the city.

Well it is 2:39 am here and I have to be up at 7:30 am. I guess I should try to go to sleep. Bonne nuit everyone.

Let open the windows and experience la Vie en Rose

These past two days have been amazing. I moved into my dorm Friday and decorated my room. I have pictures lining my shelves and on my wall of my friends and family. I love waking up in the morning and seeing my friends. It is so comforting to know that I have people to come home to. I was going to have a lazy day when I ran into some people from the program. They invited me to go on a late night run to the Eiffel Tower with them, and of course I couldn't turn that down. The Eiffel Tower is so incredibly gorgeous at night when it is lit up, and then when it sparkles. We walked around the area and enjoyed some champagne as we took in the spectacular view. Also, we experience the Eiffel Tower in an Audrey Hepburn circa Sabrina fashion. When Sabrina is telling Linus all about Paris she says "This is what you do on your very first day in Paris. You get yourself, not a drizzle,but some honest-to-goodness rain". We did get some rain, and following more of Audrey's advice i didn't bring an umbrella. I just enjoyed some French rain. After the Eiffel Tower we went to Planet Food, which has American cuisine. I had a cheeseburger and fries.  It is this dingy hole in the wall that is really tiny but the people who work there were really nice. The man asked me "Ca va?" and I didn't know what that meant at first, so he told me to say "ca va" or "bien".  

The next day we were with the programs all day. We went to the center where we met the professors and had a tour of it. Then some of us went to Starbucks, and even though I didn't want to do anything too American in France, it was nice to have a non-fat vanilla latte. There are some comforts that I want to  have every now and again. Some of us also went to Kayser's which is a place I have a feeling I will be frequenting since there is a 2 hour break between my civilization and French class. After that our group went to the History of Paris museum. The museum is the former Hotel Carnavelet which was built in 1548. Our guide said "Every step is drenched in history". I loved that line. Everywhere I go in Paris, amazing history surrounds me and I need/want to always be conscious of that fact. Inside the museum we were given a mini-explanation of the French Revolution, and then after we went for crepes and drinks. I had a crepe chocolat maison and a cafe creme. They were delicious, but I ran for an hour today to work off all those calories. The program also took us out to dinner, where we had this salmon dish (Yes mom and dad I tried salmon), chicken and mashed potatoes, and then some creme brulee and coffee. It was a delicious dinner.

Later that night we went out to Nuit Blanche, which is just a night in Paris when things are open late and there are a ton of people on the streets. Me and three people from the program went to a bar where we enjoyed some wine and then we went to a different bar where we met three Frenchmen. They were nice to talk to, but I think they were disappointed when we didn't invite them back to our place. I am not going to be the stereotypical American girl in France. I am not here to meet someone. If it happens, great, but if not then I can't be disappointed because I am in Paris! They were fun to talk to though and it is nice to be complimented all the time. French men are great for the self-esteem. I am glad that I have met some people who I can hang out with and be myself. One of the hardest things about Uchicago is that I had a hard time meeting people who were more like me, so the fact that this program has more "normal" people and less quintessential "UChicago" people is comforting.

I start classes tomorrow. I am excited and nervous about this. I always get nervous with new professors and new classes, but I am more looking forward to class because we are studying Europe and France. I don't have to do any science or math, thank god. Also, the workload is considerably less than my thousand pages a week I am used to.

Until next time. Cheers.