Experience Paris 2008

My second week in Paris has come and gone and now I find myself in the middle of the third week (time is flying by) . The second week was very interesting and very drama-filled. We almost got kicked out of our Residence (because some were really loud), and a crazy old French-woman almost pushed me out of the Metro.

            The Metro seemed to be the place for crazy happenings here during my second week. The first incident happened on my way back from dinner when we were attempting to get on the Metro to come back to the Residence. One thing you must know is that during rush hour on the Metro, you get packed into the cars like sardines. People push and push until they are in just far enough for the door to close. Not only was it rush hour when we were trying to get onto the Metro, but it was also amid a strike by the Metro employees, so less trains were running. The train arrived already pretty packed, but the pushing began and so we all went with the flow. The doors were beeping to let you know they were closing and I was barely in the car, when this old lady who was safely in the car started yelling at me in French and pushing me with a couple of fingers. When she realized I wasn’t French she started yelling at me in English. She was basically telling me that I should have waited for the next train, that there was a pregnant lady and “I” was squashing her and the baby. The funny thing was that, A.) I was not the only one pushing to get on, B.) the pregnant lady was on the other side of the car sitting down, and C.) that the lady had three large suitcases taking up most of the car we were in. All in all, it was a good laugh for the group I was with and myself. We also saw a man push a woman because she was sticking up for a lady on the Metro that the man was accusing of stealing money (he was crazy). Lastly, a drunken man followed us onto the train and was making sexual innuendos towards a Chayla, a girl from UNF. The METRO ROCKS!!

            Our cultural outings took us to La Conciergerie and the Musee d’Orsay. The La Conciergerie is where Marie Antoinette was held before she was beheaded. The Musee d’Orsay is an old train station that is now a museum. It houses paintings from Van Gogh, Monet, and others.

            My weekend was spent in Paris trying to see as much as I could. On Friday after class I visited Sacre Coeur. It is a beautiful basilique that sits atop a large hill overlooking all of Paris. Notre Dame is a beautiful church, but there is something about Sacre Coeur that makes it special and more beautiful in my eyes. It is also in a part of town that is called Montmarte. Right down the road from Sacre Coeur is a square where local artists come and paint. I have been wanting to buy a painting while I was here, but wanted one that was actually painted by an artist and not one that is mass produced, which is what you find in most of the other parts of Paris that I have been to. I ended up finding one that a local artist had just finished painting. It is of Sacre Coeur and the surrounding area and is very beautiful. On Saturday a group of us attempted to go to Versailles, but when we got out there it started to rain and we all decided to come back another day when it wasn’t raining so we could enjoy the gardens. On Sunday, I was in on a surprise visit by my roommate Josh’s girlfriend. I basically had to lie to Josh and tell him that my friend was coming into town and that I wanted him to come with me to the airport so that I didn’t get lost. It worked, even though we had some hiccups, it turned out great and he was really surprised. We had Monday off this week and so I spent all day at the Louvre seeing as much as I could because we all know it is huge and would take a good 4-5 days to see everything there.

            Today, we had an all-day cultural outing to Reims (the way it is pronounced in French sounds like Hans). This city is in the region of Champagne where they make the tasty sparkling drink. The President of one of the largest champagne companies in the region is an EBS alum and invited us to tour the facility and see how they make this type of wine. It was awesome and at the end we got to enjoy a glass of champagne, so of course it was awesome.

            Once again, I have been having a great time and could not ask for more. This truly is an experience of a lifetime and I am glad I had the opportunity to come on this trip.

Paris has been wonderful. I still can’t believe I’m in Paris and it sort has turned into some sort of normalcy for me to be in Paris, living in Paris, experiencing Paris. Pictures don’t do the beauty of Paris justice, it’s something everyone must experience for themselves at least one time in their lives. I’m happy that I can say I have experienced it somewhat. I feel like I’ve done so much yet have so much to explore at the same time. Of course everyone has to go see the main tourist attractions b/c they are a main part of Paris but the little experiences that either make you shake your head in disbelief, laugh out loud, or make you think “Now this is something I’m going to tell my grand kids one day” is all part of the experience as well. Paris would not be one without the other.

Has anyone given thought to an “All-Star Metro Musician Competition??” Every time I take the metro to go somewhere I can hear the accordion, violin, a band, some musician of some type playing away in the metro. It’s very charming, however I wonder what would happen if all the musicians got together to do a competition….Now that would be something to watch. Here’s one clip I took when coming back to the hotel one day:

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Which brings me to another topic….The Metro. You will probably find more than half of your fun filled Parie experiences from inside the metro stations. Let’s see, after coming back from our 3 course 4 hour dinner (that’s another story in itself) we were trying to get on the metro to go back to La Defense. And it was a little more than crowded….it was packed, people squished, elbow to elbow, people breathing on each other…it was horrible. Well the bell rang in the metro (signaling it was going to close and leave soon) andso all the people behind us just basically pushed us into an already packed train. We were all crammed, andin the process of crunching the people in the train since we had people behind us pushing at the same time. It was a complete mess. There was this one old French lady who accidentally got caught into the crossfire and she got upset, really upset. Poor Ian was in the front and was the first person she saw that was “pushing” her and just went off on him. Started yelling at him in French and when she realized he didn’t speak French she started yelling at him in English, even poked him in the chest, we all just stared at her silently. She then started complaining about him pushing this pregnant woman which wasn’t good for her and taking up so much room (yet she was the one with two huge suitcases on the train). I started cracking up b/c I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I look over at Nancy and she started laughing and that’s all it took for me to get hysterical. It was just so ridiculous.

Another one, a man randomly came onto the metro and made some weird speech in French. I know he started with “Bonjour!” and that was all I remember. But I found it a bit odd.

Then there was the weird American guy looking at us one night……it was very creepy. Jamie and I were trying to hide behind another guys arm……but still weird. Thank goodness we were all in a group :/.

Another thing. Kissing in public?? I swear, I’ve seen almost 5 couple making out in broad daylight in the middle of Paris. Not just a little kiss here or there, but a full on make out session and not one person turned a head (except for us of course). I suppose it’s accepted that way.

1st) Outside of the Shakespearean Bookstore- I was guessing they hadn’t seen each other in a while? P.S. With the picture. I’m not a perv btw lol, the couple was just going at it for about 10 minutes so I thought….hey why not?? lol

2nd, 3rd, and 4th) All in the Metro Stations, and one time they were riding the train.

I’m just thinking, hmmm…..really don’t want to be looking over there but it’s kind of hard not to when it’s right in your face.

Oh the Shakespearean Bookstore. I absolutely loved it. Honestly, I could have stayed in there all day/week just exploring the whole place. It was just so cliche andperfect in there. There had the sweet piano music playing in the background, the old rustic look of a bookshop that you could only imagine in such a great city as Paris. It was something out of an old movie, story, or painting. It was….idk…..charming. Every needs to get the chance to explore this bookstore, it’s really great….makes you want to never leave.

Eye Opening…

            I have successfully completed my first week abroad in Paris. We first arrived early last Monday and after getting checked into our Residence, we were shown around the area we would be calling home for the next four weeks. We are in an area of Paris called La Defense, which seems to be mainly residential and business centered. I am on the fifth floor of the Residence and have a view of three parks situated between the apartment buildings (flats). Sitting on my balcony and watching what is going on around us is like a scene straight out of the movie, Rear Window. I can see everything that goes on and my roommates and I have already named some of the residences in the building across from ours. Hopefully we won’t be witness to a murder, like in Rear Window, but we have already seen a guy undressing and a couple having sex. Originally, I was suppose to share a room with a guy from the University of Northern Colorado, but when we arrived the Residence had 5 rooms that accommodate three persons instead of two. Therefore, I was put in a room with Josh and Justin, both from UNF. They are good guys and I have enjoyed getting to know them. We definitely lucked out because the room we are in is like a small apartment with two large rooms. Those who are only in a two person room have a room about 1/2 the size of one of our rooms.

            Our first day of class was on Tuesday, and we learned how to get to our school via the Metro (subway). It is about a good 45-minute journey on the Metro, but our school is located in a beautiful residential area of Paris. It is also about 10/15 minute walk to where the French Open is played, that of which I am hoping to attend next week. We were welcomed to the school on the first half of Tuesday and then had two 90-minute sessions in the afternoon. Our first session was on the American view of Paris and how to get the most out of our stay while we are here, and the other was the beginning of our French language class. It went well.

            The second day of class we met our Management Professor and learned about the project that we would be presenting at the end of our adventure. We also had our first cultural outing, where we visited Notre Dame and the Crypts, where the remains of the original city of Paris lie. Notre Dame is so beautiful that even pictures cannot do it justice.

            The third day of class we got into groups for our project and visited the Musee du Louvre. Our cultural teacher took us there specifically to see the original fortification of Paris. I also had the chance to go up into the Museum when she was finished to see the Mona Lisa, although I plan on going back and spending a whole day there, in which I still won’t be able to see anywhere close to all of it. Thursday evening we were invited to a restaurant called Sangria, by the Wine Club at our school. It was a great chance to meet some of the French students that attend EBS-Paris and get to know them a little better. The food, wine, and conversation were all great.

            We had no school on Friday and so I joined a group of three others and took the TGV (the fast train) to London for the weekend. We stayed in a Hostel that was situated above a pub and about a 25-minute train/tube ride into the heart of London. We saw London Bridge, Big Bend, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Harrods, and much more. Westminster Abbey, by far, was the highlight of the weekend. So much history and so many famous people are buried there. Everything was breathtaking and amazing as to the amount of detail that has gone into everything that is there. We had the great opportunity of hearing the choristers practicing before their afternoon song service. The voices carried through the Abbey and made such melodic sounds that it makes you realize how lucky we really are. All in all, London is a great place to visit, but I found it to be dirty and just on a whole different level than that of Paris. Paris tops the charts as of now.

            I have been having the time of my life and couldn’t ask for anything more. There is still so much more to see here in Paris and time is going to fly by. I just hope that I will have the chance to see as much as possible and continue to take in as much as I can. As much as I love it here, being here has made me realize how much we have in the States and how much I am thankful I can call it home. I would not change that for the world, nor would I change anything I have experienced thus far. I only hope that this week will be as much as an eye opening and learning experience as the last week has been.