I now have three full days left in Paris. I would like to take this last blog entry to explain just what I feel I gained from my experience abroad.
The fall semester I spent was not the first time I’ve been to Paris. This is actually my fourth time coming to France. It was, however, the first time I’d ever gone for a seriously extended period of time. I was able to live here, study here, shop here, and most importantly, visit sites that some people only dream about seeing. To say it was different would be an understatement. Doing the traditional tourist route is very different from doing the actual living-as-a-Parisian routine. If I were to describe all of my experience in this one blog entry I might as well start with Chapter One and go on until I can freely send it to a publisher. Suffice to say I’m pretty sure I’ve absorbed more culture in three months here than I have in several years in the United States.
I’m not talking just about Paris. Through the graces of the European train system, I’ve been to London, Amsterdam, Rome, and the Vatican. I even got within ten feet of the Pope! How many people do you know who can actually say something like that? Experiences, I tell you. Even if you don’t know they’re going to happen they just… do. And boy do you never forget them.
It’s also been here that I’ve made some very interesting friends. Though there are only nine of us I actually find that I like all of the individuals on this bilingual adventure. They’re each wonderful in their own way: Keelie has her unshakable charm, Christian has his debonair fashion sense, Thomas has his level-headed cool, Brittany has her fiery disposition, Sophia has her quiet humor, Angel has her cheerful temperament, Vicky has her adventurous nature, and Samantha has her easy likability. I’m just so happy that I’ve met all of them. I don’t think I would have had as much fun on this trip had these people not been here.
And being the serious student that I am, I have to mention the fact that the academics at this program are just as rigorous as the ones at Hollins. I learned a lot. Now, not only do I have a firmer grasp on the French language but I also became better introduced to subject matters that I hadn’t studied before. So to say I have just learned would be an understatement. I would especially like to mention that one of my professors actually tailored certain aspects of his class to me specifically just so I could raise the level of my class from a 200 to a 300. So yeah, suffice to say I was kept very busy!
I would also like to mention that my friends were not the only individuals I met on this trip. I’m not speaking of any specific Frenchman or woman I met, but actually of myself. Anyone living abroad knows how startling it can be when you first get here. You can’t just pick up the phone and call whomever you want (well, you can, but you can’t if you want to keep a reasonable phone bill) whenever you want. You’re several thousand miles away from anything and anyone familiar. At first, it’s really like a bucket of cold water gets dropped over your head. I especially realized that I (finally) had to rely almost solely on myself, my intuition, my intelligence, and—most importantly of all—my map of Paris to do what I wanted to do, see what I wanted to see, and, of course, eat what I wanted to eat. It made me feel more responsible, more efficient, and much more like the adult I so often claim to be.
I firmly believe that the Hollins Paris Program allowed me to grow as both a student as a human being. This will be my last blog entry. I hope that those who read it were entertained as well as informed.
Be warned! I plan on going to London for a semester. Who knows? Maybe my next blog will be titled “An American in London.” I certainly hope so!
Signing out,
Johanna M. Lemon
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So, I’ve said in my earlier blogs that everyone in France smokes, well, not everyone, but almost everyone. After they’re finished with their cigarettes, they throw them wherever they want, ground, street. That means quite a bit of cigarette butts just kind of lolling about. Shop keepers and people who live right on the street usually come out and sweep the butts into the road, where they sit between the curb and the asphalt.
So what do the French do? Every few days on every street, little geysers of water start at wherever there’s a small opening between the curbs, you know, the place where rainwater usually falls into? Anyway, the opening spurts out water from an underground line. The water flows down the line of the street and the curbs and washes away everything on the sides of the street and then pools at the end. It’s Fall now, so all the cigarette butts are mixed with whatever leaves fall onto the road. I think it’s a rather novel way to solve a common problem. It also means that maintenance men don’t have to continually sweep everything.
Just make sure you watch where you put your feet because one misstep and your shoes get soaked. 🙂
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Paris is completely decked out for Christmas! It’s absolutely wonderful! I’ve made videos for it but due to certain computer malfunctions I haven’t been able to post them. I will, however, endeavor to describe just how magnificent Paris looks right now.
The Champs Elysee is decked out as a Christmas Village. There’s the main part, which has all the stores like H&M, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Swatch, FNAC, and so many more that are lit up like volcanoes. The entrance to the Virgin Music store is decorated to make it look like one is entering an igloo. On the sidewalks there are lines of trees, all of which are strung with flashing white lights. Even the smaller individual stores are doing their part to spread Christmas cheer. Plastic Christmas trees and so, so, so many blinking lights in front of every doorway, window, and street crossing. Most stores have this type of light that makes it look as if snow is actually falling down the sides of the building. It’s really cool to see since you don’t have it much in the U.S.A.
Anyway, back to the Champs Elysee: Then, once you get past the metro stop George V, a whole different street commences. It stretches for almost a mile until you reach the Place de la Concorde and the Tuilireres. Right there, a Ferris Wheel has been set up; it turns night and day and—you guessed it—lights up as well. So, on the street, small, house-shaped booths are set up side by side. They sell everything from hats to hot wine to scarves to jewelry to crepes to Russian dolls to cheese to knitted wear to small electronic toys. It’s all quite fun to walk down. The crowds can be a bit crushing so you have to make sure you don’t lose whoever you’re walking with, but it’s all good, holiday fun.
There is a gigantic Christmas tree in front of Notre Dame de Paris. Also, in almost every large church and cathedral there is a manger set up inside. What’s fun about this is that they almost all look different. Sure, all the important figures are there, but the style of the statues depends on the church they’re placed in. For example, the manger on Notre Dame is mostly plain and done in a kind of more minimalist style. But the manger in Saint Sulpice is colorful and bright.
It has been snowing rather frequently here; it’s actually snowing as I type. Most of it turns to slush right away, which makes walking a bit difficult but it’s all worth it in the end. Still, when I walk home I can see small children trying to catch snowflakes on their tongues. That makes me happy.
Finally, to describe my street: the entire road is decked out with strings of lights hanging between the buildings. On the lines there are these weird looking metal cages. They actually look like jellyfish with strings of electric lights dangling from the upper circle. It’s a bit hard to explain but it’s quite nice to see. The lights go down the entire street and make it seem like it’s nearly daylight.
So yes, Christmas spirit in Paris. Ever so wonderful.
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Johanna: Hollins Abroad-Paris student at Hollins University
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