French Strikes and other fun things!

For about a week, I've been dreading today. I did have a midterm today, but that's not why I was dreading it. You see, today there was a public transportation strike. No buses. No TGVs. No subways. So, with no other option, I walked to school. Yes, I walked 7 and a half miles. But, I have to say, it was kind of nice. I passed Notre Dame, the Panthenon, the Sorbonne, and the oldest Roman baths in Western Europe. It was nice to not get on the subway. In fact, I might start walking home more often. Also, French prononciation is kind of ridiculous. The say "podcasts" with a French accent but "BBC" with an English accent. It's all very nonsensical, much like the strike. Tomorrow I leave for our second study trip to the South of France. Hopefully the train we need to be on will be running and more than that, hopefully the strike will be over when I return!

Parisian Pictures

I took both of these pictures on Friday. The one on the left is the view of the Eiffel Tower from the American Library in Paris. The picture on the right was taken a block from my apartment. It is a group of African women leaving the North African market that had just finished. I like the diversity of the pictures. I feel really grateful to be here in Paris for so long. Today my friend and I walked all around Montmartre and saw all the "Amelie Poulain" stops along with Sacre Coeur, which is always outstanding. The Montmartre area is so unique and artsy, in a very Parisian way. In so many ways, Paris reminds me of San Francisco: liberal, open and honest.

Something's Different

So I've been in Paris for a little over a month. A lot has changed in my life. I've decided to stay in Paris for the entire year, until May. I feel like this is where I should be right now in my life. I'm taking architecture classes and I've also found an Arabic class. I'm here now. And this is where I should stay. Thankfully, I'll also be staying with my same host family. If all goes as planned, I will return to Dallas shortly over winter break (and go to Houston with Dad to renew my French visa) and then return to France in early January. I'll return to Dallas again, in May, but not for long before leaving to go to Monterey for the summer. I'll finish up my last semester at SMU and graduate in December. Hopefully, I'll be working in either London or Geneva. That's the short end of everything. But the day-to-day life here in Paris is very interesting, to say the least. I get to see and experience things that I would never get to experience in America. And I mean this literally. For example, there is a special exhibit going on in the Louvre right now (and because I get a student Louvre card from SMU, I can go there, anytime, for free!). It is an exhibit on Iran during the 16th and 17th centuries. About 90% of the collection is on loan from a museum in Tehran. This type of exhibit would never be in the US, simply on the basis that there would be no museum in the States that could secure a loan like that from Iran. The beauty of the art I saw is indescribable. The intricate art and calligraphy of that period in Iran is stunning. Also, today I was walking home from Pont d'Alma (where Princess Diana died) and I decided to walk around my neighborhood a bit. I found myself at a North African market. That is an experience I would not get in Dallas, Texas. But that is not to say that I don't miss Dallas, I miss my family. Luckily my host family has free telephone calls to America, so my homesickness is eased. Sometimes I love it here. Sometimes I don't. Sometimes I wish I could speak better French, sometimes I wish everyone spoke English. But I am here now. And that is what is important.

Nuit Blanche

One night a year, Paris keeps certain buildings open through the night that aren't normally kept open. This night is knows as Nuit Blanche, or White Night. Tonight was that night. My friend and I spent most of the day in the Louvre studying for an art history exam but when night rolled around, we decided to check out the sites. We headed to Centre Georges Pompidou first. It's the modern art museum and has a great view of Paris from the top floor. Then, we ventured over to Notre Dame. The church of Notre Dame is beautiful at night. We went inside and were surprised to find a Mass going on. We watched for a few minutes, but grew bored. We walked down the Seine to the Louvre. In case you don't know, the Louvre is one of my favorite places. Because I'm an art history student in Paris, I have free entrance, including to the special exhibits. This is a huge benefit. Today I went to the current exhibit at the Louvre: Persia from the 15th-17th centuries. This is something that I know I will never see in America. Most of the exhibits were on loan from a museum in Tehran and the whole exhibit was spectacular. It's days like today when I realize how fortunate I am to be in Paris.

Chartres

One of the many great things about being in Paris is that there are lots of small towns that are excellent day trips. One of these is Chartres. Chartres is a town about an hour outside of Paris by train. It's a very charming city. Chartres is known for its' Cathedral. The Cathedral has two big things: the only preserved mid-12th century stained glass in France and a relic (the veil of the Virgin Mary). Because of the relic, Chartres has always been, and still is, a major pilgrimage site for devout Catholics. Honestly, the stained glass impressed me more. It's not that the veil wasn't interesting, I just personally think that the Catholic Church is full of crap 99.9% of the time. What is interesting about the veil is that it is a very old piece of cloth that has survived so many decades. The Cathedral was beautiful and didn't have that many visitors, but there was a wedding going on, which made the visit more memorable. The city of Chartres was also very pleasant. I went with three friends and we had lunch, enjoyed the Cathedral, and walked around the city before returning to Paris. Although it wasn't a long trip, it wasn't expensive and it was well worth my time.