La Vie en Rose

Bonjour!

Just thought I'd write a quick update of my life....This week has been fairy uneventful, although Monday was my roomie's birthday, so we got to go out for a bit for that (I got to salsa dance some!! Yay!!)

Other than that, just a normal school week. Had my first in-class essay for history/civ class, but nothing too bad. Also, I somehow managed to write 6 pages for a paper that was supposed to be three (we had to re-write the fairy tale Puss in Boots--I got a little excited).

This weekend my friend Lara comes to visit from Florence! I'm so excited. I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures from the weekend. Also, I booked my tickets today to go visit her in April...a little more expensive than I wanted, but c'est la vie. When else am I going to get to go to Florence for a weekend, right?

Further news:
-I am in love with camembert cheese, especially when melted on a fresh baguette.
-Notre Dame continues to be one of my favorite places here, and I really want to go to a mass there even though I'm not Catholic, just cuz I think it'll be cool
-it has become a goal of mine to taste every pastry here and decide on a favorite; this is a monumental task I know, but i shall bear the burden bravely (;
-it's getting warmer here, which I am soooo excited about..hopefully soon I can go to all of the famous gardens here and just sit and read. I still have not been to the Luxembourg gardens, much to my shame, but I'm sure I will go soon.

Ok, I will stop the random tidbits from my life here (:
Hope you all are having fabulous weeks.
Please continue to keep my grandpa in your prayers--I really appreciate it.

A bientot!

Disneyland

Hello to all,

I hope you all have had good weeks. I had a great weekend (I have lots of homework still to do, but that's the advantage of no class on Mondays!). Friday I went to the Louvre again with some friends, and then Saturday, I got to go to Disneyland! One of my friends had a pass, and apparently there was some promotion that she could invite 10 friends to come for 10 Euros each.

It was lots of fun. I met a lot of new people--they are all from school, and I met them through my friend Kai, who's from Germany. Most of them are from Mexico, studying here for a semester. It was so fun hanging out with them, and they are all so nice! It's great to find another group of friends here.

Well, sorry there's not much to say, I will write again son. Miss you all (:

The more I learn, the more ignorant I feel

I have been overwhelmed today by a feeling of insignificance. There is so much I want to do and see, so much I want to learn, and the more I do see and learn, the more I realize how much more is out there! I'm sure many of you can empathize with this. I keep meeting people who speak three or four languages and realize how painfully lacking my french is after 4 years of training. Or people who have been all over the world and think how I have only seen about 5 percent of it. It makes one feel so small.

At the same time, I am so grateful for how much I have lived. The things that God has given me; the people he's sent into my path...I can't even think of it without smiling.

Speaking of which, I wanted to write a quick note about my grandpa. Many of you know how scary last week was for all of us, and I am happy beyond words to report that he is doing much better (although please keep him and all of us in your prayers). But this week has also snapped into focus the gift that this man has been in my life. Papa, if you are reading this, please know that I could never ever write enough to honor you sufficiently for all you have done for me (the same goes to you Mimi). You have both been so wonderful. The many memories of gifts of dried sweet fruits, playing airplane on your knees, building our treehouse (as we all "helped"), you chasing us with your electric razor early in the morning to get us out of bed; trips to disneyland and Colorado, precious bible stories read in soothing voice, ham and cheese omlets early christmas morning, piggy back rides, tractor rides, and sled rides as we all tackled you in the snow; these and so many other memories are so precious to me. You are more to me than what I can say. I can't wait to see you both again and give you a giant hug (:

This is just one precious exmaple of the people and memories that God has enriched my life with. You are all so precious to me.

I think I have moved beyond my excitement stage.
They talked about this in orientation--that there was the initial "honeymoon" stage of the transition which would be short-lived. I didn't really believe it (how could Paris be anything other than completely wonderful?), but I think I see what they're saying now. Once you have sunk into your routine, the glimmer of the city begins to fade. The Eiffel tower still stands, the Sacre Couer remains hovering over the city...but the lens has changed. there is no longer the romantic haze of the dream; you begin to see Paris for what it really is--and this is when you can tell whether your love is true or not.

All that
I no longer feel the need to view the wonders of this place through the lens of a camera. (Oh don't worry, plenty of pictures will still be taken), but to snap a photo everytime you see the "picturesque Paris street" or amazing view of the Siene or the Eiffel tower, you'd never put your camera down.

All that to say, I think I'm learning how to simply live here. To soak up the wonder of a moment; to simply breathe in and out. To come out of the Concorde metro station when the sun is setting and the beaty knocks the wind out of you and to simply be able to mumble "Thank you God for your creation"

I'm sorry this is such a sporadic post...I should probably title it "the random midnight thoughts of Jessisca Wright" Haha...but hopefully there's something in here that makes at least a little sense...
Talk to you all soon.
All my love!

A hidden history discovered

Ok, so I didn't actually discover any hidden history of the city (my title may be just the tiniest bit deceiving), but as far as my life and knowledge of this place goes, something unknown was unearthed today.


As most of you know, I am taking a Paris history/culture class here. To my great enjoyment, this course includes a series of excursions in which we explore the city. (We all get to feel extra touristy as our mob migrates from site to site with cameras the size of small children around our necks...but hey, it's worth it!).



So anyway, this afternoon was our excursion to "Roman Paris" and "Medieval Paris" on our tour wonderfully titled "Crypte and Cluny". We met at the statue of Charlemagne in front of the Notre Dame, and from there continued to the "crypte archeologique" underlying the city's streets. This amazing crypt contained the ruins and remains of Roman Paris--the city's walls and cloisters, stones, bricks, and passageways as they stood so long ago. Of course most of this part of the city is destroyed, but some of it still stands, interestingly enough, beneath the city itself! Who knew?


From here we continued on to the Cluny museum, which housed remains of the Roman baths, as well as many tapestries, sculptures, and knick knacks dating from that time. One of the coolest things we got to see were the famous Unicorn Tapestries. They are so elaborate and so beautiful!


We also stopped by an Abbey on the way through the city (the name of which I have forgotten), as well as a reconstruction of the Roman Arena.



All in all the tour took about three hours, but we saw so much!!! It was incredible. It was good for me to walk around the city again too. It's far too easy to fall into a routine here with schoolwork and everything, and to think of yourself just as living in a city, rather than one of the most beautiful and enriching places in the world!


I hope to do some more exploring and adventures tomorrow, and hope to write again soon!

A bientot!(:

The sublime and the infernal (all in one day)

Yesterday I got to, once again, play the tourist. It still amazes me that I can wake up one morning and think to myself "I think I'll go to the Notre Dame today"...

Instead, I decided to visit the Saint-Chapelle--one of the oldest chapels in the city. It was built under the order of Louis IX, and was originally the refuge of many famous relics, most noteably, Christ's crown of thorns.


It is most well-known for its amazing stained glass windows; they certainly live up to their fame. I was fortunate enough to visit on one of Paris' few sunny days--the chapel was dancing with light.


There are two levels, the lower, which was for the servants, and the upper chapel, which was meant for the king and other nobles. Stained glass windows line both sides of the upper chapel, creating a sort of menagerie of lights and colors. One pamphlet said that this effect had become so well known that it has inspired such sayings as "wine the color of Sainte-Chapelle's windows" (:


The detail of everything here always baffles me, and these windows are no exception; each of the massive pieces are interlaid with plate after plate of scenes from the bible. Apparently these are supposed to be read left to right, bottom to top, but they are all so condensed I could barely make out what they were.

The chapel itself is actually quite small, especially when compared to the massive Notre Dame, which is practically its neighbor. It is nestled within the gates of the Palais de Justice, which is also connected to the Conciergerie, which was my next stop.
This change in location inflicted quite a change in mood, as well.

As many of you probably know, this famous prison was the last asylum of many tragic children of the French Revolution--including Marie Antoinette, Charlotte Corday (who killed Marat in his bathtub) and finally, Robespierre--one of the greatest leaders of the Terror, who was killed by his own precious gulliotine.


The prison is quite eerie, especially as they have set up scenes within the cells depicting the possible living conditions of the prisoners. These scenes include dummies set up in the rooms dressed in traditional garb, or props which would have been typical of the time. One room held a basket filled with fake hair, depicting the sort of reception they would have received in their final moments--their hair being shorn in preparation for the blade.
Of course most of the prision is a reconstruction, and Marie Antoinette's cell has been completely destroyed and redone into a sort of chapel, but they still have set up a scene of the situation in which she lived.

It is hard to imagine how many innocent people spent their last moments within these walls.

A.B.S.

Ok, so I realized that while I have updated you all on my adventures (which have been wonderful) I have not told you much about the banalities of my school schedule.
This, of course, is not exactly thrilling, but some of you might like to know...

I am taking five classes here: two marketing classes, a french language, a french culture/history and an English class on fairy tales and folklore. All of my classes are in English except for (of course) my French language.

Classes have been going well, although there are still things here I am trying to adjust to. I've told some of you, one of the weirdest things that I've found here is the paradox of the system's disorganized yet strict manner. Let me explain....one example of this is the way that the classroom schedule works. A.B.S. (American Business School, not abs, haha) shares its campus with about 5 other french schools. As a result, we switch classrooms every week (I still don't really understand this). Now, as a foreign student who is just a bit discombobulated by this whole transitioning into another country, culture, and way of life thing, you'd think there'd be a little extra help, someone to hold your hand, a guide, if you will, for these sort of adjustments and oddities. Nope. And that's a big nope. If french students can do it, than so can you. And you better be on time...I don't care if you were wandering around the neighborhood for an hour looking for the class. (The campus has three main buildings around the neighborhood). Oh, and that's another thing: you are allowed two absences in each class before you fail. No excuses. And being late counts as half an absence.
*Gulp*
This is especially nerve-wracking for me since I have a class about half an hour outside of the city every week (oh yeah--there's another campus they use outside of the city)--at 8:30 am. The first week was interesting...I think I left my apartment at about 6:30 in order to take the metro to the train station and try to figure out, in my wonderfully limited french, which train would take me to where I needed to go.

This has definitely been a trip which has helped me to "spread my wings". If American mothers are said to give their kids a little shove out of the nest when the time comes, French moms must fling their children halfway down the tree. "You hit a couple branches on the way down? then learn how to fly so you can avoid them, you idiot"

No really, it's not that bad....but it definitely has been an adventure.

It's also been a challenge adjusting to the new schedule. I have only one or two classes a day here, which is really nice, but they are mostly evening classes (except for the cursed 8:30 class I've already mentioned). Also, my shortest class here is an hour and twenty minutes, while most of them are two and a half or three hours with fifteen minute breaks. I am definitely ready to come home by the time they're done!!!

They have been interesting, however. I think my favorite will be my french history/culture class. My professor is a very eccentric little man with a beret (which he informs us is very NOT french); and although he is originally American likes to consider himself french because of the amount of time he has lived here. There's a lot of reading for the class, but it also has some really fun parts. For example, last week for part of our homework we had to find a marche (the outdoor street markets) and buy and eat any kind of pate. (It wasn't half bad actually). And this week we have to go to the frommagerie (cheese shop) and buy a kind of cheese we've never heard of before (:
Also, we will be getting to go on a lot of excursions with our groups, such as the wall of Paris and the catacombs of the city....I'm pretty excited.

Well, there you go. My wonderful adventures with the french educational system. not quite as exciting as excursions in the city, I know, but there it is. (:

Un excellent week-end!! (:

Bonjour Tout le Monde,

I had the most wonderful weekend I wanted to tell you all about. I have made a couple friends at the church I've been going to (St. Michael's--a British church in the middle of the city), and got to hang out with them these last couple of days.

Unfortunately we had to say goodbye to one of my first friends here, Jordan, who was heading back to Australia. We had so much fun in our last excursions though!!! On Saturday we had a wonderful dinner at a little italian restaurant and then went out to celebrate!



On Sunday we went ice skating at the Hotel de Ville, right near the Notre Dame. It was so fun! Later we went to a cafe and patisserie and then to church. So fun!!!






I feel so blessed to have made such wonderful friends here already!!

Here are a few of the pictures!



Bonne nuit!

The Louvre (at least, the first visit..)

Finally got to visit the Louvre!! It is free for students on Friday night, so this Friday my roommate, our friend Allison and I all went. I think it may become our weekly excursion (: There is so much to see!! I think we saw a good portion of one wing in about 2 hours...but there are so many wings!! Haha.




Some of the things we saw are "Winged Victory" (which was absolutely amazing), "Venus de Milo", and, of course, the Mona Lisa...


It's so cool. My mind couldn't really register that these were the real things. That the pictures and posters and everything else were reproductions of this amazing thing you are standing in front of.

The Mona Lisa is especially cool. It is small, and one would think that, out of all the amzing (and sometimes gigantic) works surrounding it, it's nothing too special. At the same time, staring at that engimatic smile, you feel the same curiousity of its origin that has enamored generations of painters, critics, poets, and general passer-bys. The expression in her eyes is one that draws you; an enveloping sort of sigh or nod which speaks volumes and yet nothing at all. It is this most revealing mystery which has endured history's wars, passions, and woes. It is this which makes her famous.


Haha...the whole time I was looking at her, the Nat King cole "Mona Lisa" was in my head..."Do you smile to tempt a lover, Mona Lisa? Or is this your way to hide a broken heart?...Are you warm? Are you real, Mona Lisa? Or just a cold, lonely, lovely work of art?"



The room of sculpture was one of my favorites. Out of all the mediums one could use, it baffles me that anyone could make a human figure out of pieces of marble or bronze.


Some of them are fluid, giving a sense of motion to its figures. Others actually emote a sense of longing or anger or pain. I don't understand how this is possible. One of my favorite was a figure of a woman with a veil pulled over her face.

I literally have no idea how this is physically done. It is completely mind-boggling, which perhaps makes it even more beautiful.



Also, I would like to say with pride that I recognized many of the figures from afar. Haha...unfortunately I am not talking about the artists and sculptures themselves, probably much to my mother's dismay...but, thanks to my Greek Mythology class,
I could spot an Athena from across the room because of her helmet, aegeis and an owl; or a Hercules because of his club or lion's skin. Lol. There is something very satisfactory in those moments when you realize you have gained something from your education!!




There were students everywhere sketching the magnifiscent works...I hope to be one of them soon! It seems to me that it's been ages since I've been able to draw, and I can't wait to return here and do so!