Today I had the last 2 exposés of my life, both in French, and while I'm glad to be done with them, part of me is sort of going to miss the concept of them. "Wait, what...", my fellow exchange students are thinking, "...that wasn't a sarcastic title?" En fait, no. I actually liked the oral presentations that consititute the majority of work here at Sciences Po. And really... what's not to like? (Apart from the high expectations of professors that you will read their mind and make the exact right obscure reference that they wanted you to, the overbroad topics, the 20 minutes of questionning after the already mentaly-draining task of speaking for around 15 minutes, the extensive preparation that still gets you nowhere, the horrid American accent that emerges from nerves, and the general public humiliation of it all...)
Well, okay, maybe they aren't the world's most "fun" excercises in the traditional sense of that word, but no pain no gain, right? Or maybe I'm just a little bit more masochistic than we all thought. In any case, oral presentations in a foreign language (or in English) were an interesting challenge, and in all sincerety, I'm glad to have been pushed out of my academic comfort zone grace aux exposés.
With that said, I'm SO glad to be done. Time to CELEBRATE. Wooooohooo!!!!!!
Friday, May 29, 2009
So French
Tuesday, I was evacuated from Sciences Po thanks to a bomb threat. Then, I witnessed a protest. This morning I was late meeting a friend for coffee due to a perturbation of my metro line. Oh France...
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Study Break
Thursday, Ms. Ara and I met up for coffee at a café called L’imprevu, and were later joined by Matt and Neema. After exiting the Metro at Chatelet, I met Ara and we headed over to an area of the Marais (in the fourth district) that I had never been to before, which is much fancier and classier than our normal, “student-friendly” locales. However fancy and classy this area is though, L’imprevu remains charmingly unpretentious. Tucked away in the Marais, it boasts free wifi, a lounge-y/eclectic atmosphere, and a large menu of both alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. (And yes, I would gladly head their ad campaign if they asked). In our cozy corner in the back, the four of us discussed life, love, and values over the most brilliant Chai Tea I’ve had in a long while, until departing at
That night, I decided to work, and attempted to finish an exposé that I thought may had been due for my Introduction à la pensée liberale course. I didn’t finish though, but to my relief, the (exceptionally disorganized) course turned out to be cancelled. The good news continued as I received back my midterm in my Grands enjeux de la construction européenne course. In spite of my difficulties during the exam (see blog from beginning of May where I basically call the passing of the test as the hardest two hours of my life), the large number of fail grades in my section, and the fact that every single critique my professor made about the exam was applicable to my test, I received a note signifying that my work was “assez bien”, or “good enough”, a SERIOUS victory!
I celebrated this victory that night, first with a visit to the Tribal Café in the 18th which serves free couscous with drink purchase, and then at a party at my friend Cara’s apartment. Ms. Andrea even brought me some celebratory sparkling wine and we toasted the end of the week.
The next day I caught up on sleep until meeting Dre in the Marais for a night of Tapas and bar hopping, and man did those tapas get me excited for
Now that I’ve caught you up to date, then, I guess it’s time to end my study break and get back to work. Until next time, wish me luck!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Picnic
Last night Ara invited a ton of people to a picnic along the Seine under these premises:
"Okay, this is the premise of the party:
(In the wise words of Neema Righteous Ghiasi)
Imagine ourselves 5-6 months from now, somewhere other than Paris...maybe a tiny cubicle in an office in a 9-5 job, or classroom back home, what have you, and thinking, remember that Great party that awesome Ara Girl threw on May 20th? It was a picnic by the Seine...we played beerpong, had long talks about love and life by the Seine...all of us feeling pleasantly light-headed by the wine....it was one of those perfect nights....
I really wish that I could be back there, be at that party just for one day........
AND THEN, VOILA! Your very own Delorean waiting for your trip to the past....
you then proceed to punch in 10:00 PM, Pont de la Tournelle on the south bank of Seine..."
And you know what, this picnic lived up to its aims. A surprisingly large number of us (around 20) got ourselves organized at the last minute and gathered on the grassy banks of the Seine and enjoyed hours upon hours of conversation, goofing around, and general bonding. Tons of other people had the same idea too apparently, because we were also joined by around a thousand strangers partaking in similar activities, and at one point, I even paused and danced around a drum circle. I don't think I could imagine a more perfect night than good wine, good friends, good conversation, and the riverbanks of an amazing city. So, thanks Ara. I hope we can do this again.
"Okay, this is the premise of the party:
(In the wise words of Neema Righteous Ghiasi)
Imagine ourselves 5-6 months from now, somewhere other than Paris...maybe a tiny cubicle in an office in a 9-5 job, or classroom back home, what have you, and thinking, remember that Great party that awesome Ara Girl threw on May 20th? It was a picnic by the Seine...we played beerpong, had long talks about love and life by the Seine...all of us feeling pleasantly light-headed by the wine....it was one of those perfect nights....
I really wish that I could be back there, be at that party just for one day........
AND THEN, VOILA! Your very own Delorean waiting for your trip to the past....
you then proceed to punch in 10:00 PM, Pont de la Tournelle on the south bank of Seine..."
And you know what, this picnic lived up to its aims. A surprisingly large number of us (around 20) got ourselves organized at the last minute and gathered on the grassy banks of the Seine and enjoyed hours upon hours of conversation, goofing around, and general bonding. Tons of other people had the same idea too apparently, because we were also joined by around a thousand strangers partaking in similar activities, and at one point, I even paused and danced around a drum circle. I don't think I could imagine a more perfect night than good wine, good friends, good conversation, and the riverbanks of an amazing city. So, thanks Ara. I hope we can do this again.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Failure
It's been far too long since my last update, sorry I am such a failure.
Well, after Amsterdam, I returned to Paris just in time for an expose in my History of Rock Music Class. This expose was all about the development of visuals in SF in the 1960's and it was a joy to research. I LOVE LOVE LOVE learning about the 1960's counterculture, especially from a more intellectual perspective. It went pretty well, and in any event, I had a fun time writing it. (Ask for my outline if you're curious, it's about everything from beatnicks, to LSD, to Jim Morrison, to high arts).
The next weekend, I headed off to Marseille, in the South of France with Tami, Matt, and Neema (aka the Cairo Crew). We had no Friday class (Again!) and had a lovely 3 hour train ride in first class! We arrived in the Beach Town and found ourselves in a lovely hotel room,which fit all 4 of us pretty comfortable, and was actually cheaper than our hostel in Amsterdam! That night, we headed out to a concert by one of my favorite electronic artists, MSTRKRFT, which was kind of our inspiration for going to Marseille that weekend. The concert was A TOTAL BLAST! The venue was in this strange gallery type place that had a side building full of graffitti art, one of my favorite types of art, and had a skate park/patio. We danced the night away to LA Riots and MSTRKRFT, and I had such a fun time.
The next day, we woke up late and made our way to a market in Marseille, picked up some grub, and headed to the beach, where we bathed in the freezing cold water and relaxed under the sun. The R and R was definitely necessary considering all the papers and exposes we've all had for the past few weeks. We then headed over to Old Port, and grubed on the local speacialty, fish stew, which we enjoyed with a nice bottle of white wine. I think I'm going to have to say that this was my favorite meal so far abroad. The stew itself was so flavorful--the perfect mix of salty, savory, and maybe even citrusy, and it complimented the tender fish quite well. What an amazing and authentic meal! Exhausted and full, we headed back to our hotel and chilled out until we feel asleep.
The next day, Neema left in the morning, and Tami, Matt, and I checked out of our hotel and decided to go exploring. Matt had heard that Marseille was known for it's cliffs, which evidently we could hike on/around. We all three decided to check them out, and Matt took the initiative to figure out how to get to them. First, we tried going by boat, but by the time we got to Old Port (around 4PM), it was evidently too late. Next, Matt had heard that we could take a bus there, so we all decided this would be a good idea. We found the particular bus that apparently was supposed to take us to the cliffs, and got on, but we were a bit unsure of what stop to get off of. Matt kept asking the driver, who eventually directed us to the last stop of the line, after we'd travelled out of the city into the boonies for about an hour.
To be perfectly honest, at this point, I had my doubts. We ended up getting of the bus in what seemed to be out in the middle of nowhere, but I decided that the worst case scenario of continuing on our journey would be that we ended up not finding the cliffs, but went on a funny adventure instead. I'm all about funny adventures anyway, so we made our way in the direction that the bus driver told us to walk. On our way, we passed by a prison, some houses, and finally, groups of people in hiking gear--a good sign! Something important to note is that when we left our hotel that morning, we weren't entirely sure what we were going to do, so Tami and I were dressed in street clothes, and for me that meant a flowy skirt, tank top, leather jacket, spangled scarf, and gladiator sandals; not exactly hiking-friendly attire.
What's also important to note is that we checked out of our hotel that morning and thus had all of our stuff with us. Ironically enough, I fell back on bad habits before this trip and packed more for my weekend in Marseille than I did for Amsterdam and Cairo combined. But, these cliffs seemed pretty cool so Tami and I went into our bags, changed into our sneakers, and persisted on the road, that would eventually lead to some cliffs.
Finally, after about 20 minutes, we came upon an entrance to what seemed to be a hiking trail and decided that this was it. We headed up and up and up, luggage in tote, and found ourselves on a 45 minute (?) hike ONTOP (I thought it would be AROUND) of some beautiful cliffs. When we finally arrived at the top, the view was majestic. These particular cliffs were right above the ocean. Particularly considering that we really had no idea what to expect, we were all mystified, amazed, and eccstatic (and personally, I was quite grateful to have brought my running shoes). We spent a good chunk of time taking in the view, and at one point paused in silence for a few minutes to meditate, enjoy, breathe, etc. I think the only word that would even begin to appropriately describe what I felt at this moment was sheer awe.
I've been on a lot of hikes in my life, but I can honestly say that this was the most beautiful (and short!), so in lieu of attempting to describe it, I'm posting pictures. (see below).
That night, we ate some VietNamese food, checked out a fortress, and made our merry way home on a Party Train that Tami had inadvertently booked. This party train was quite hillarious, and consisted of a bar with a DJ and lots of middle-aged men dancing and getting drunk off of beer and Smirnoff Ice (a bottled combination of Sprite and Vodka, for those of you who are too classy to know), which I don't think I've seen in person since first semester my freshmen year. Tami and I decided to enjoy the night train in an ironic, we're-laughing-at-you-not-with-you kind of way, and ended up having a surprisingly fun time!
Marseille was amazing and a lot more urban and diverse than Paris, so it was nice to be somewhere that felt more like the real world. I actually really appreciated it and honestly think that if I had to live somewhere in France for a long period of time, I'd prefer somewhere more down-to-earth like Marseille, although Paris is ideal for studying abroad.
The next week, I had tons more work, and this past weekend I enjoyed some time off. In general, my life has consisted of picnics, trips to Parc Monceau, walks around Paris, and time spent with friends.
Last night, I did a presentation on California Wines and their relationship to French wines in my wine class with Andrea and Song-My, and it was a raging success. A few people told us it was the best presentation yet... maybe the chardonnays we fed them got to their heads! I arrived home to the remnants of an engagement party, which was a bit shocking, considering that I live with an older woman, but which was nice, as it gave me the opportunity to bond with her friendly grandsons and their friends.
I am as happy and as grateful as ever. I am really living in a dream. Please don't wake me up yet.
Well, after Amsterdam, I returned to Paris just in time for an expose in my History of Rock Music Class. This expose was all about the development of visuals in SF in the 1960's and it was a joy to research. I LOVE LOVE LOVE learning about the 1960's counterculture, especially from a more intellectual perspective. It went pretty well, and in any event, I had a fun time writing it. (Ask for my outline if you're curious, it's about everything from beatnicks, to LSD, to Jim Morrison, to high arts).
The next weekend, I headed off to Marseille, in the South of France with Tami, Matt, and Neema (aka the Cairo Crew). We had no Friday class (Again!) and had a lovely 3 hour train ride in first class! We arrived in the Beach Town and found ourselves in a lovely hotel room,which fit all 4 of us pretty comfortable, and was actually cheaper than our hostel in Amsterdam! That night, we headed out to a concert by one of my favorite electronic artists, MSTRKRFT, which was kind of our inspiration for going to Marseille that weekend. The concert was A TOTAL BLAST! The venue was in this strange gallery type place that had a side building full of graffitti art, one of my favorite types of art, and had a skate park/patio. We danced the night away to LA Riots and MSTRKRFT, and I had such a fun time.
The next day, we woke up late and made our way to a market in Marseille, picked up some grub, and headed to the beach, where we bathed in the freezing cold water and relaxed under the sun. The R and R was definitely necessary considering all the papers and exposes we've all had for the past few weeks. We then headed over to Old Port, and grubed on the local speacialty, fish stew, which we enjoyed with a nice bottle of white wine. I think I'm going to have to say that this was my favorite meal so far abroad. The stew itself was so flavorful--the perfect mix of salty, savory, and maybe even citrusy, and it complimented the tender fish quite well. What an amazing and authentic meal! Exhausted and full, we headed back to our hotel and chilled out until we feel asleep.
The next day, Neema left in the morning, and Tami, Matt, and I checked out of our hotel and decided to go exploring. Matt had heard that Marseille was known for it's cliffs, which evidently we could hike on/around. We all three decided to check them out, and Matt took the initiative to figure out how to get to them. First, we tried going by boat, but by the time we got to Old Port (around 4PM), it was evidently too late. Next, Matt had heard that we could take a bus there, so we all decided this would be a good idea. We found the particular bus that apparently was supposed to take us to the cliffs, and got on, but we were a bit unsure of what stop to get off of. Matt kept asking the driver, who eventually directed us to the last stop of the line, after we'd travelled out of the city into the boonies for about an hour.
To be perfectly honest, at this point, I had my doubts. We ended up getting of the bus in what seemed to be out in the middle of nowhere, but I decided that the worst case scenario of continuing on our journey would be that we ended up not finding the cliffs, but went on a funny adventure instead. I'm all about funny adventures anyway, so we made our way in the direction that the bus driver told us to walk. On our way, we passed by a prison, some houses, and finally, groups of people in hiking gear--a good sign! Something important to note is that when we left our hotel that morning, we weren't entirely sure what we were going to do, so Tami and I were dressed in street clothes, and for me that meant a flowy skirt, tank top, leather jacket, spangled scarf, and gladiator sandals; not exactly hiking-friendly attire.
What's also important to note is that we checked out of our hotel that morning and thus had all of our stuff with us. Ironically enough, I fell back on bad habits before this trip and packed more for my weekend in Marseille than I did for Amsterdam and Cairo combined. But, these cliffs seemed pretty cool so Tami and I went into our bags, changed into our sneakers, and persisted on the road, that would eventually lead to some cliffs.
Finally, after about 20 minutes, we came upon an entrance to what seemed to be a hiking trail and decided that this was it. We headed up and up and up, luggage in tote, and found ourselves on a 45 minute (?) hike ONTOP (I thought it would be AROUND) of some beautiful cliffs. When we finally arrived at the top, the view was majestic. These particular cliffs were right above the ocean. Particularly considering that we really had no idea what to expect, we were all mystified, amazed, and eccstatic (and personally, I was quite grateful to have brought my running shoes). We spent a good chunk of time taking in the view, and at one point paused in silence for a few minutes to meditate, enjoy, breathe, etc. I think the only word that would even begin to appropriately describe what I felt at this moment was sheer awe.
I've been on a lot of hikes in my life, but I can honestly say that this was the most beautiful (and short!), so in lieu of attempting to describe it, I'm posting pictures. (see below).
That night, we ate some VietNamese food, checked out a fortress, and made our merry way home on a Party Train that Tami had inadvertently booked. This party train was quite hillarious, and consisted of a bar with a DJ and lots of middle-aged men dancing and getting drunk off of beer and Smirnoff Ice (a bottled combination of Sprite and Vodka, for those of you who are too classy to know), which I don't think I've seen in person since first semester my freshmen year. Tami and I decided to enjoy the night train in an ironic, we're-laughing-at-you-not-with-you kind of way, and ended up having a surprisingly fun time!
Marseille was amazing and a lot more urban and diverse than Paris, so it was nice to be somewhere that felt more like the real world. I actually really appreciated it and honestly think that if I had to live somewhere in France for a long period of time, I'd prefer somewhere more down-to-earth like Marseille, although Paris is ideal for studying abroad.
The next week, I had tons more work, and this past weekend I enjoyed some time off. In general, my life has consisted of picnics, trips to Parc Monceau, walks around Paris, and time spent with friends.
Last night, I did a presentation on California Wines and their relationship to French wines in my wine class with Andrea and Song-My, and it was a raging success. A few people told us it was the best presentation yet... maybe the chardonnays we fed them got to their heads! I arrived home to the remnants of an engagement party, which was a bit shocking, considering that I live with an older woman, but which was nice, as it gave me the opportunity to bond with her friendly grandsons and their friends.
I am as happy and as grateful as ever. I am really living in a dream. Please don't wake me up yet.
Monday, May 4, 2009
life is good
After Spring Break, I became a hermit (and refused multiple invitations for nights on the town as hard as it was) thanks to the 094q349123p847p29384 assignments I had due. Two Saturdays ago, I had my first midterm for my lecture course en francais. It was 2 hours for 2 essays and it kind of sucked... Thinking and writing and learning in a foreign language is hard. REALLY HARD. Really, really hard. However, I completed the two essays with coherent albeit elementary and over simplistic argumentation, thus I claim VICTORY. Honestly, for the first time in my life, I'm going to be happy with my grade no matter what, because taking this midterm was a learning experience itself, and I'm pleased with all the hard work I put into studying for it. To me, that is "doing well"...
After some more work last week, this past weekend I rewarded myself with a weekend trip to Amsterdam with Ara, Matt, Andrea, and Tami. After sleeping in and missing my flight, I took a train ride through the French, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Dutch countrysides before arriving in one of the most beautiful cities ever. While there, I enjoyed the local cuisine (stroop waffles = AMAZING), enjoyed some long walks through th town, became extremely disturbed by the redlight district, drove a paddle boat through the canal, took pictures at the "I am sterdam" sign, saw Starry Night (for the second time in my life) at the Van Gough museum, frolicked in tulips, and visited some coffee shops. It was a gorgeous city and I had an unforgettable time. I'd love to go back when I have the chance.
Now, I'm bracing myself for another busy week ahead and for my upcoming visit to Marseille.
LIFE IS GOOD.
After some more work last week, this past weekend I rewarded myself with a weekend trip to Amsterdam with Ara, Matt, Andrea, and Tami. After sleeping in and missing my flight, I took a train ride through the French, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Dutch countrysides before arriving in one of the most beautiful cities ever. While there, I enjoyed the local cuisine (stroop waffles = AMAZING), enjoyed some long walks through th town, became extremely disturbed by the redlight district, drove a paddle boat through the canal, took pictures at the "I am sterdam" sign, saw Starry Night (for the second time in my life) at the Van Gough museum, frolicked in tulips, and visited some coffee shops. It was a gorgeous city and I had an unforgettable time. I'd love to go back when I have the chance.
Now, I'm bracing myself for another busy week ahead and for my upcoming visit to Marseille.
LIFE IS GOOD.
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