Indian Summer

It's been uncharacteristically warm in Paris. By this time of my trip I was expecting to be wearing my fall coat on a daily basis and having a hard time getting out from under my comforter for morning classes. Instead, I am having dinner on the terrace and enjoying my nights with the windows wide open.

I dedicate my Wednesdays to the French culture. My day starts bright and early with Advanced French at 8AM. This includes 3 consecutive hours of the French language which means that if I don't understand something, I won't get an explanation in English - rather more French words in a different order. While this frustrates me from time to time (especially at such early hours of the day) it is the most challenging course that I am taking this semester and I am grateful for the opportunity to learn the language while being in the country of its origin.

3 hours of consecutive French is followed by 3 more hours of French Civilization. This class is in English, but is centered around everything France - starting from the very first people who roamed the land of France long before it was a country. Today, our professor took us on a tour of the 5th District. I was able to capture some of this tour's finest moments.

After the tour we were left to explore on our own. A couple of the girls and I grabbed a bottle of wine for a picnic in a nearby park. I can only hope that I can convey the vibes that I felt at this location. On a random Wednesday afternoon people were laying on the grass and simply enjoying life. While some people were enjoying the weather, other people were more focused on enjoying one another ;) All types of people - young & old. I'm thinking about starting a line of post cards...

As far as the near future is concerned - this weekend I will be discovering Normandy. 

The weekend after I will be visiting Barcelona for Sensation.

In the meantime, feel free to enjoy the following video for a more realistic vibe of what I'm experiencing here. This takes place on a bridge over the Seine to the famous melody of La Vie En Rose played live by a man with an accordian.

                                          

Lessons à Paris

As my third week in Paris commences, I'm finding that having Tuesdays off from school is extremely therapeutic. I make it a point to wake up no later than 9AM so that I can sit at my desk and organize my schedule, homework, room, and most importantly, my thoughts.


I have never been a big fan of school. You can ask my parents and they will vouch for this. Obviously I understand that it is important and in today's society mandatory to have an education so I always strive to do my best, but ultimately my mentality is always "I just want to get this over with". One thing that I'm finding pleasantly surprising in Paris is that I am genuinely enjoying my classes. I'm taking subjects such as International Business, Intercultural Management, and Global Marketing. This may not sound exactly exciting, but here it's totally different. I am taking these classes with students from all over the world including France, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Mexico, Africa, etc. Needless to say this brings a whole new spin to class discussions.


I'm learning so much, but not only in my classes. People who have gone abroad have told me I'd learn a lot about myself in the process. I already believe this within my first few weeks. I like to think that I can have everything figured out. If there is a problem I prefer to sit down and fix it all in one sitting and then continue on. I'm learning that it just doesn't really work like that. Even when I thought I had everything figured out, I didn't. It consoles me to think that this holds true for every person and not just myself, however it is quite eye opening. I've realized that I have complete control over all of my actions - but to sit down, plan concrete action steps and follow them accordingly is simply not going to happen no matter who you are or how structured you think your life is.


One class I took in my college career is Psychology 101 and if there is anything I retained it's a quote from my professor, "We see our past selves and our future selves as strangers". This is why without any hesitation we say things like "I would never do that" or "I was so stupid". However, in the present moment we are much more sensitive to our feelings, desires, emotions. In the present moment we don't judge ourselves so harshly. So we can plan ahead as much as our hearts desire, but the truth is it's more fun to take it one moment at a time. It's more important to have a positive attitude and be open to new and challenging experiences than have a detailed design of expectations which will only lead to disappointment.


On a much lighter note, this weekend I experienced something incredible - the Scène Electro & Danse - Techno Parade. I have never seen anything like it. Thousands of people on the streets simply moving to the music that is blasting from the buses, and as the music moves throughout Paris, so do the people. When I say people, I mean all different types of people. Men, women, transgender, old, young, handicapped, every ethnicity, every nationality, eccentric (in every sense of the word). Dancing on the streets, on buses, hanging off of traffic lights, and any other way you can possibly dance. I tried to capture this as best as possible:

And for a more realistic feel...

                                                            

Getting Acquainted

It's been about 2 weeks since I arrived in Paris. A lot has happened since the day I went to see the Eiffel Tower.


Today is Friday. I am pleased to announce that this day marks the end of my first full week of classes. Looking back on the past week is incredibly surreal. Sometimes when I'm in my room just browsing through Facebook or catching up on my e-mails I feel as though I'm in New Jersey, but when I turn to look outside my window I am instantly reminded that I am situated in the most beautiful city in the world.

Before classes started on Monday we went to visit the Loire Valley. We took tours throughout three chateaus - gorgeous mansions that kings of France built for two reasons: 

1. To go there on vacation. 

2. Because they could.

I have always heard of people making references to "living like a king", but it wasn't until this past weekend that I really learned the meaning behind that. The King had a room dedicated solely for the common folk to come and pledge their loyalty. It was an honor to hand the King his shirt in the morning. Every night anywhere from 5 to 15 people set up beds in the kings bedroom to protect him while he slept in the most grandiose bed that you can imagine. People would set up chairs in the dining room to watch the King and Queen eat. The King had anywhere from 1 to hundreds of mistresses and nobody complained... not even the Queen. 

Once classes began it became easier to fall into a routine. A big part of any routine, particularly mine, is food. One of my favorite things about Paris is the fresh food and wine. I have been greatly enjoying everything including:

Markets

Crepes with Nutella

Wine & Cheese Tastings

Gelato

Uniquely Prepared Dishes 

Cookie Tastings

And most importantly, the cooking of my wonderful host mom. 

I am truly lucky because dinner is always a treat.

Plans for this weekend include the Paris Pub Crawl tonight followed by the Scène Electro & Danse - Techno Parade. Never a dull moment.