The Reality Sets In...

Le 21 octobre, 2008

So the reality is finally setting in that I actually LIVE in this city. It's unbelievable. I've been here a month now, so it's not a visit anymore. C'est la vie.

The last couple of weeks have been eventful, as always. It's already the 4th week of classes at L'Institut Catholique, and having a routine makes the days go by very quickly. The weekends, of course, go faster! On Saturday I went to the marché des puces (flea market), one of the biggest and most famous antique furniture markets in the world. There is also a part that's just a bunch of cheap stuff, which was interesting to look at! After we went to Sacré Coeur during the day and went inside. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but it was obviously beautiful. I didn't like all the tourist-y "buy stuff!" advertisements inside the church, but I suppose that's just how it is these days! It was peaceful to just sit in a pew and look around, though.

Every Sunday I am trying to visit different places in Paris I haven't been with my friend Lauren. Last Sunday we went to Père-Lachaise with our friend Alec. It is a cemetery where a bunch of famous people are buried, like Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde. This Sunday we went to the Jardin du Tuileries and then just walked around all over the place for a while. Sundays have been good to us, the weather has been just beautiful.

Last week our program went to l'Opéra Bastille to see the opera Rigoletto. It was amazing. All the subtitles were in French and I had no difficultly reading them so I was very proud of myself :-). The music was extraordinary, if you ever get a chance to see that opera you should!

Also last weekend my friend Beka came to visit from Barcelona. It was great having her here! We did a lot of things in Paris, but mostly just wandered around. This is a picture of us in the Jardin du Luxembourg:
Well, that's about all for now. Pictures are slow to be uploaded, but will be posted soon! Don't forget to check back for new ones! I have a bunch!

Love,

Sunanna

Week 3 already!

Mercredi, le 8 octobre, 2008

Hello everyone!

Sorry it has taken me so long to update this again. I have had a lot of problems uploading photos with this internet connection, so I ended up having to switch sites. I'm now using shutterfly, and you can find the link to my most recent pictures to the right of the screen.

Needless to say, a lot has happened this past week, almost too much to post! But I shall try...

I think I left off right before our trip to Versailles. It was amazing! What an incredible place, although overly extravagant. There was also a modern art exhibit there at the time, with work by Jeff Koons, an American artist. It is very controversial in France, and if you look at my ablum, you may understand why. Basically all the things that look out of place in my Versailles pictures are works by Jeff Koons! I thought it was actually pretty interesting, but a lot of people don't like it. Also, we visited not only the palace itself, but also "Le Petit Trianon," the palace of Marie-Antoinette. All and all it was 5 hours of walking all over Versailles, but definitely worth it!

The next day I moved into my permanent residence, the Fondation des Etats-Unis at the Cité Universitaire. As it turns out, there aren't all Americans here...I was surprised when the first person I met here was Spanish! I have made friends with a lot of people on my floor and even went out with a couple of new friends of mine from Madrid on Thursday. I'm loving it here at the Fondation...there are always people around to talk to and to befriend!

I also started classes last week, and so far they have been very interesting. They are completely in French, but I'm finding myself able to understand almost all of it. My classes are challenging, but they will definitely help me a lot with my French skills, so I'm happy with them. Also, I don't have class on Fridays, so I can't complain!

During the week I do lots of things, from shopping to trying to figure out practical things like bank accounts. Last week I got intentionally lost because I had some time and found myself with a pot of tea people watching on the Boulevard St. Germain. Again, I truly can't complain.

On Friday night I hung out with some people from Illinois and our French friends, but I made sure to get home early because the next day we all had to rise and shine very early to go to two chateaux, Fontainebleau and Vaux-le-Vicomte. They are both located about an hour outside of Paris. They are a lot smaller than Versailles, but have a certain charm that I think I liked even better than Versailles. You can find the pictures in my album, it was a really fun! This is a picture of the group of us outside of Vaux-le-Vicomte:




On Saturday night I went to Nuit Blanche, a night of music and art in Paris, which was fun but crowded. After that I went to the Champs-Elysees, which was a ton of fun.

Nothing much else to report, classes again this week and another fun weekend approaching. Hope everyone is doing well back in the States!

Love to all,

Sunanna

Nearing the end of week 1!

Samedi, le 27 septembre, 2008

Bonjour mes amis!

This is probably the first time anyone is going to look at this because the last post I wrote before I had a blog set up, so feel free to read that one as well! I'll pick up from where that last post left off...

Wednesday I had my oral exams at the Institut Catholique (the language school I am taking classes at this semester). They went really well and everything is fine! Yay! That night, I went with some friends from University of Illinois as well as a couple of new French friends to the Louvre at night. It was absolutely stunning. I forgot to bring my camera, but hopefully I will go back there at night because the glass pyramids look amazing all lit up!

Yesterday our program went on a guided tour of the Musée du Louvre. Yes, I saw the Mona Lisa! We also learned about the history of the museum itself, which was actually originally built as a fortress and located outside the city walls of Paris. Then, when the city expanded and the walls were extended outward, the Louvre was part of the city itself and became a royal palace. It is interesting to note the different architecture and decorations in the Louvre depending on when that particular part of the building was built. I will definitely be going back there.

That night, our new French friends took us to the Sacre Coeur, and we sat on the steps and had a very French picnic with baguettes, paté, and of course, some wine! In front of us on there was a beautiful view of Paris, and behind us the beautiful Sacre Coeur.

Today (or I guess yesterday, since it is Saturday at 3 in the morning here...I stayed up to watch the presidential debate but the internet is not letting me stream it!!) we went to the Musée d'Orsay. This is another place I will definitely visit again. We looked at lots of famous impressionist paintings, from people like Degas, Cezanne, Monet, and of course my favorite, Van Gogh.

At night my friends and I went on another picnic, this time to the Eiffel Tower. It is lit up in blue because President Sarkozy just became the head of the European Union, and so the "city of lights" is definitely celebrating by lighting up everything in blue! Again, it was an amazing night with an unbelievable view. At times during our conversations sitting on the grass, my Illinois friends and I would joke and say things like "Oh, yeah, there's the Eiffel tower. No biggie, just one of the most recognized landmarks in the world..yeah, so what were you saying??"

Tomorrow our group ventures to Versailles for another guided tour. I can't wait!

If you can't tell by my posts so far, let me just say bluntly that I love it here. I am awestruck by everything, and I'd like everyone to come visit so they can live the dream as well!

Much love,

Sunanna

The First Few Days...

Mercredi, le 24 septembre, 2008

Well, it is my second day in Paris and I am writing this journal entry from le jardin du Luxembourg, one of the biggest green spaces in the city. When I take a look up from my computer there is the palais du Luxembourg, and if I look just to the left I can see the top of la Tour Eiffel. I have posted pictures of this garden that you can see. It is located right next to the dorm I am living in for the moment and it was the first major place I visited, almost as soon as I arrived in Paris. It is gorgeous, and I like to come here to people watch, stare at the palace, or just think.

However, I haven’t had that much time to do this in the couple of days I have been here. My days have been very full. I have seen Notre Dame, l’hôtel de la cite, le Bastille, gone on a walking tour of la marais (one of the most historic parts of Paris), and walked miles all over Paris by myself and with others in the program. I have eaten un pain au chocolate, un crepe with bananas and nutella, and of course un sandwich (Rebecca!). I’ve also ridden the Metro multiple times and it’s great.

The next couple of days are full as well. We have orientation meetings, but we also have guided tours of the Louvre tomorrow, the Museé d’Orsay on Friday, and Versailles on Saturday. Hopefully on Sunday I can move into my dorm, located in la Cité Universitaire. It is near the Montparnasse cemetery and general region, and I am excited to see what new adventures will arise in this environment of students in Paris for a common reason!

I can’t express how amazing it is to be in this city. Of course I haven’t settled in completely and I still feel quite foreign in this country, but I still absolutely love every minute.

More pictures and posts to come, so please check back soon!

Love to all,

Sunanna