(Semi) Normal Life in Paris

I feel like I don't have that much to write about because I haven't been traveling. But I guess I am in Paris, which is exciting in itself! Let's see where my thoughts about the past week take us...

In addition to the first Funk Jazz Hip Hop class I took last Tuesday, I tried an African dance class on Saturday afternoon and a Tzigane (gypsy) dance class on Monday evening. The African dance class was really great and really exhausting. When I arrived, the instructor told me I should let my hair down, because it would make me get more into the whole swinging the head thing. I don't know if she realized how long my hair is, but it was all over the place during the class. It was pretty funny, at least to me. There were two African drummers and an African xylophone-thing player, and the instructor (who is white, but possibly has spent some time in Africa?) got really into the music, letting out random sing-song yells. Ha I don't really know how to describe it all, but the fact that she was so comfortable with getting into the dancing and rythms and music made it easier for me to get into it as well. There were people of all ages there- a little girl and a older boy, as well as a couple of older men and women. It was really fun, but the problem with enrolling in it is that it is not offered at the best times for me. I want classes on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday afternoons, but this is only offered midday or on Saturday (which could interfere with traveling). The Tzigane class was for all levels, and I found it a little too slow-paced for me. The instructor (also white, but has definitely spent time in Romania) also got really into the music and dancing, singing along and just all around a good dancer. Tzigane is offered at good hours for my schedule, but I realized half way through the class that I could hear and see the hip hop class going on across the courtyard and I really just wished I was there. I took that as a sign and returned to hip hip on Tuesday evening, and I felt like it was really the class for me. I was less intimidated the second time I went, and so I was able to retain the combinations better and get more into the movements. I talked to the teacher (who is American) afterward, and she told me that it will be 320 euros for three months of unlimited hip hop classes. I'm hoping IES will go for it. I think they will since I'm pretty sure that's less expensive than having me in an academic class. We'll see, but I'm pretty excited about it at the moment.

On Monday in my 10:45am class on the European Union (which I have decided is my favorite academic class) I had to give a ten minute presentation in which I compared two articles on Barack Obama- one from the New York Times and one from Le Monde (most widely-read French analytical paper). I chose to talk about Obama's announcement to withdraw troops from Iraq and to deploy more troops in Afghanistan. I won't get too specific, but basically France is a lot more concerned with Afghanistan than are the United States, because France has no troops in Iraq and it has been against the War in Iraq from the beginning, but France does have troops in Afghanistan. Also, the French article focused a lot more on the shift from a military approach to diplomacy than did the American one. At the end of my presentation, I ended with a simple enough question: "What are the consequences of the affairs of Barack Obama in France?" No one answered (this is a class that should have a lot of discussion but not many people like to participate, which bugs me so much). Our teacher has a habit of calling us "Jeunes Gens," which translates to "Young people." He says this to us when he asks us a question and we stare back at him blankly. "Jeunes Gens" might be followed by "Where are you this morning? Are you asleep?" or something like that. So when I found myself in this awkward position, where the entire class just stared back at me like I hadn't even asked a question, I decided to give the phrase a try.

Me: "Quelles sont les consequences des affaires de Barack Obama en France?"
Class: Silence
Me: I rephrased it some other way, hoping someone might respond.
Class: Silence
Me: "Jeunes gens?"
Class and Professor: Laughter!

But still not response from my peers. Instead, the professor answered for himself. After awhile a few people put their two cents in, but I just don't get why people can't just say something! I don't know if it's because they hate to seem like a goody goody or they're shy or they aren't confident with their French or what. It's just annoying. Today we had a better discussion, though, so it might get better.

Friday night I was around to eat dinner with my host family. Fanou made an endive-and-goat cheese tartin (pie type of thing). It was good, but probably not one of my absolute favorites. I find endives to be very bitter, so I think I prefer them in smaller quantities. But still pretty good. For dessert, Fanou gave us dark chocolate Danettes (Danon makes dark chocolate pudding over here!) that she had bought for one of her grandsons, who only ate one. Yum!

Sidenote: this grandson, Pierre, is the oldest grandchild of Fanou and Pierre, and I think he's around 8 or 9. As soon as he walked in the door that morning and saw me, he gave me a big "Bonjour!" and came right over to me and started showing me his magazine with some shark vs. dolphin thing. We talked about the vacation he was on and when our birthdays were. He is probably the most friendly person I've met in France! I love welcoming experiences like that.

After dinner on Friday, I asked Jean-Pierre when the France vs. Pays de Gaul (Wales) rugby match was supposed to begin, mostly out of curiosity. He responded that it started at 9pm and that if I wanted to watch it, we could all sit in the living room and watch it. He normally watches sports games in his office, but that night we all sat around and watched the rugby game together. Jean-Pierre told us all kinds of little tidbits about rugby, none of which I can really recall right now. Wales, up to this point, was known as the best team in the Tournoi de Six Nations (Six Nations Tournament, which compromises France, Wales, England, Ireland, Scotland, and Italy), and was heavily favored to win that night's game. It almost came down to the wire, with Wales trailing by only five points and almost scoring another try (five points, plus the goal at two points, would have put Wales over the top). But France won, 21-16! It was really exciting, and I decided that I could really get to be a rugby fan if I was here long enough.

This weekend I spent a lot of time with my friends, two of whom had friends in for the weekend. Nikki's friend, Chris, studied in the IES Business program here a year ago, so he knows all these cool places to go. He took us to this sangria cave that used to be a bomb shelter back in the day. It was small and intimate and not very loud, so I want to go back soon. He also took Nikki to a cafe called Angelina, on Rue de Rivoli right next to the Jardin des Tuileries, which is supposed to have some of the best chocolat chaud (hot chocolate) in Paris (they're proud of it, too, at 6.90 euros for a pitcher that has about two cups in it).

Sunday was the first day of the month, which means free admission to Paris Museums. I went with Nikki, Chris, my friend Sarah and her twin sister, Dana (who is studying in London), to the Orangerie. There, we saw some incredible Monets, Renoirs, Matisses, Cezannes, Derains, Picassos and more. Then Nikki, Chris, and I walked over to the other side of the Tuileries to the Louvre. Finally! I can't believe I've been here over the month and I hadn't been there yet. We saw the Mona Lisa (of course) and the Winged Victory, as well as lots of the Renaissance paintings near the Mona Lisa, and lots of Egyptian and Greek art. We did a lot of wandering. Good day in total.

Nikki's friend, Chris, is still here, so Nicté and I met him at Angelina today and tried the hot chocolate, which was pretty good. I don't want to hype it up too much, because I have a tendancy to set high expectations that are subsequently not met. You will have to come to Paris and try the hot chocolate at Angelina yourself. After that, Nikki, Chris, Sarah and I went to see Milk, which came out in France today. Sean Penn deserves every accolade he has received for that movie. I didn't blubber like I did when I saw Benjamin Button, but I was equally, if not more, impressed with this movie. I did a report on Harvey Milk, the Twinkie Defense, the White Night Riots, and gay rights in the tenth grade, so I was happy to see a story that I know a lot about brought to life.

Monday night for dinner we had l'escalope de veau (breaded veal) as our main dish, with all the usual sides. Pretty good! Tonight for dinner we had saumon (salmon) wrapped in cooking paper with mustard and some spices on top. Fanou made it in the microwave. As a college student, I am definitely going to have to get that recipe!

My parents, Becky, and her boyfriend, Jake, are arriving in Paris at 9:40am on Friday. I am so excited! I can't wait to show them the touristy things we didn't get to see last time, like Sacre-Coeur, the Orangerie, the Marais, the Marchés aux Puces, etc, as well as the non-touristy side of Paris that I have been getting to know. My boyfriend, Taylor, arrives next Friday, and Annie arrives the day after that. What an exciting few weeks I have ahead of me!

C'est tout pour l'instant (that's all for now),
Ellie