Ce dimanche paresseux
Trip Start
Jan 17, 2010
1
5
42
Trip End
May 18, 2010
Paris 15 Vaugirard, Île-de-France, France
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Classes still don't start till February 1st, however I have a grammar revision class for a few days to get myself back in the mindset of French writing, grammar, etc. My professor, Jeanne, is not my favorite and to top it off my homework load for Monday is not appreciated. I'm in Paris, who wants homework?!
Friday: I had morning class at 11:30 and then a private tour of the Musee du Louvre. It was only a short tour about 1hr30min, but we all received listening devices, so we could hear our tour guide over the voices of everyone else. Though the tour was in French, our tour guide knew we were students and spoke at a much easier pace. Personally, I was amazed at the amount of information I understood. Also, because the tour was so short, she took us to all the major or popular exhibits. So next time when I go, which I will since I get into ALL Paris museums for free with my student ID, I can take a look at some of the other exhibits and not worry about seeing the Mona Lisa, etc. After that some new friends of mine, two from Gustavus University (south of the twin cities), one from Univ. of Texas (hook em' horns), and one from Catholic Univ. in D.C. went to the Bastille for drinks and food. Crepes stands can be found almost everywhere in France. So of course, being in France, I got a fresh crepe for about 3 euro...and lets just say I could not put it down for a second. The cook would pour the batter onto a hot griddle and then take a wooden paddle and rotate it, making the batter thinner, thus covering the whole griddle. Then after it was completely golden brown, he would spread whatever you want on it (I've had one with nutella and one with sugar/cinnamon) and then fold it into a large flat triangle sandwich. Unbelievably, delicious.
Saturday: Unfortunately rainy and wet, but my friends and I met to first eat at a Resto-U (which is a campus cafeteria and much cheaper for the amount of food you get). We went to Cite Universite, right at the bottom of the 14th arrd. before you crossover the city-line of Paris. The campus was beautiful. Afterwords we went to the Eiffel Tower, to be tourists, of course. Didn't go up though, we'll wait for a sunny, clear day. Afterwords we found L'Ecole Militaire, which is an old military school, now turned museum and on the front-side is a huge dome building erected for Napoleon's Grave. After wards, back to the Latin Quartier, for drinks and Gyros, yum!
Sunday: This morning I went for a run through Parc Andre Citroen. It a large park near my home-stay and very beautiful. It has an oriental, modern theme to it and is shaped like a large amphitheater. When I get a chance, I will take photos.
Cultural Insights:
-School is extremely important in France. Starting at an early age, children are disciplined to not only have common courtesy, but also respect for their elders/leaders. Most children, when introduced to an adult, will say "Bonjour Madame, Bonjour Monsieur" and shake their hand. There is also two forms of "you" in French language: the "tu" form for informal situations and the "vous" for formal situations. When children talk to their elders they will use "vous", even when speaking to their parents, because it is a sign of high respect. Children are also taught English at a very early age and most will be able to speak quite a bit of it.
-I still have yet to hear a French song. Every restaurant, bar, street performer, etc. plays or sings American music. From Lady Gaga to Usher, new pop/rap. Or classics, like the Beatles, Michael Jackson, the song "Pretty Woman" came on in a bar last night and some French girls sitting across from us were singing the words spot-on.
-Also, last night when entering the metro station after my night out, a large crowd had gathered around some street performers and all the French citizens were singing and shouting to yet again another American song.
-Food and drinks are extremely expensive, partially due to the rate of exchange (money).
-If you want coffee, don't expect to get anything near the size of a tall, grande, or venti like in the States. Most coffee comes in an espresso size cup, however its Not espresso, just extremely concentrated coffee. (And very delicious)
-It is also hard to find coffee to go (unless you find a Starbucks of course). The French like to sit and enjoy all their food and drinks, therefore in order to find coffee, you must be willing to sit and enjoy.
New Vocabulary:
-ballerines- flats (shoes)
-un pomme de douche- shower-head
-"Ca Marche"- "It works"
Comments
It sounds like you are doing great, Alyssa!! Aren't the freshly made crepes just WONNNNderful??? My favorite is Nutella and the best I ever had was at the Eiffel Tower when it was really cold and windy. The steam and scent just overwhelmed my senses! The coffee, though a tiny serving, is SO wonderful - I guarantee you will miss it when you get home! I don't know what they do to make it so delicious. Looks like you are taking lots of pictures - but keep your notes too - can you save these blogs?
Wait until you see all the flowers in spring! Enjoy every second!