The Parisians: Take 1

I’ve given you a pretty long string of descriptive posts, so I’d say it’s high time for some social commentary.

One obvious question to tackle: Are the Parisians really as chilly as they are reputed to be?

I cannot bring myself to say yes or no. So allow me to deconstruct the question a bit.

Will the average Parisian smile at you on the street? Absolutely not.

If you smile at a Parisian, will you receive a smile in return? Perhaps (but not probably).

Already, I have become so used to being the one to initiate social contact that when someone actually smiles at me or says, “Bonjour,” I nearly jump with surprise/joy. (Needless to say, this someone is generally a fellow American.)

From my experience, a Smiling American Girl will generally receive one of the following reactions.

a.   The Leer (Unpleasant and, thankfully, rare. Further explanation unnecessary.)

b.  The Smile-Back (Rare but pleasant and refreshing)

c.   The Look Away (“Smiling girl could be dangerous.”)

d.  The Stern Stare  (“I have no reason to smile at you.”)

e.   The Double-Take. (One of my personal favorites)

Katie: Smile

Stranger: Quick, reflexive smile followed by frown of uncertainty.

Katie: Still smiling…

Stranger: Another smile upon the realization that this girl does not have shady intentions…

While the lack of widespread conviviality initially unsettled me, I find that I do not mind it so much anymore. After all, the Parisians cross paths with so many people every day that smiling at each one would lead to a very early onset of wrinkles. And I do sympathize with the Stern-Looker. Why should strangers be forced to smile at one another for no reason?

But for those of you who may be wondering whether I will return to the States with a Parisian air of sophisticated detachment, fear not. I have tried in vain to acquire said air. It simply does not work. For better or for worse, I shall always be That Smiling American Girl.

Food for the Mind

And now for my classes! I’m taking four and auditing one – who could resist Impressionism? All of my courses are in French and super tiny (about 3-5 students each). An absolute luxury when you have professors from the Sorbonne!

Here’s the spread:

1.  French Grammar: Sounds dry, but I actually find grammar almost juicy when I know I’ll be using it in everyday conversations.

2.  France and the European Union: Politics has never been my strong suit, but I am loving this course. Already, our talented professor has skillfully led us through France’s 5 major newspapers, 6 major political parties…and the boggling question, “What is Europe?”

3.  French Novelists/Autobiographers in the 20^th Century: Literature!! Such a treat. Proust in French is so worth the trouble.

4.  Architecture of Paris: Amazing!! Half the courses meet in the classroom, the other half on the town. What a wonderful way to become acquainted with Paris!  And our professor does a wonderful job of illuminating the bonds between form, function, and meaning.

5.  Impressionism: Like I mentioned in an earlier post, the closest I’ve ever come to artistic analysis is a half-sighed, “Oh, this one’s pretty…” It’s so exciting to learn how to look at art the way I look at literature. Like the Architecture course, Impressionism is split between the classroom and museums. Last week, we visited the Louvre. What a treat to stand right in front of the paintings as we discussed them!

And what better way to celebrate my first round of classes than a fresh raspberry tart in the rose garden by my apartment?

The Other Versailles

On our last day of orientation, we visited Versailles. The palace glittered and sparkled as brightly as I remembered. 

http://www.chateauversailles.fr/chateau

 I like shiny things as much as anyone, but hearing about court life made me cringe. The whole place revolved like the galaxy around Louis XIV, whom I do not hold in particularly high regard. How would I like to watch him wake up and eat his porridge every morning? Not much. Not even for a room like this.

http://www.chateauversailles.fr/chateau

My real adventures began after our tour of the Ordinary Versailles. When the rest of my group returned to Paris, I stayed on for a few more hours to explore the Other Versailles. The one with enticing little lanes like this. 

That lead to emerald cathedrals like this.

And after some meandering...

When I saw this, I half-expected Belle to come singing, “Bonjour." (She didn't...but maybe I did.) I soon found that I had stumbled into Marie Antoinette's little estate. I quickly decided that if I were a courtesan, I would request this housing.

And meander down these hallways.

And slip away to this tower.

And maybe visit the Ordinary Versailles for a ball or two.
But truly, my day at Versailles reminded me that whenever I'm in nature, my spirit seems to wake up, shake out its wings, and come 100% alive.

Let's Start with the Caen-Caen

'Twas a hot and sunny afternoon when I embarked on my voyage for Paris, accompanied by a slightly ridiculous entourage of suitcases.

After a brief dip into the twilight zone of international travelling, I met up with four of the other girls on my program, our director, and our tour guide. The seven of us hopped on our charter bus (yes, we had a charter bus) and headed off to Normandy.

We stayed in the lovely little town of Caen for the weekend. Our hotel was right across from a castle where I frequently saw groups of young people lounging on the lawn as they talked, smoked, and drank. I wish that we Americans did more of that (well, the lounging/talking more than the smoking/drinking). We often seemed compelled gather for a purpose, even if it is just a meal or a game. I wonder how many people would show up if I suggested, “Hey, why don’t we sit around on Chambers lawn for six hours on Friday afternoon?” No homework allowed.

Saturday was our medieval day, when we saw the monastery at Mont St. Michel, which was built in the 8th century AD. From a distance, it looked positively mythical.

I wish I could have seen it when it was actually a monastery. From what our guide told us, I think I would have made a dreadful monk (for more than the obvious reasons). For example, the monks could not speak or make eye contact at mealtimes. Need I say more?
My bad behavior would probably have consigned me to this human hamster wheel, used to lift heavy stones. Not much idle chatter doing that job.

Sunday, we visited a museum dedicated to World War II. The well-made collage of photos, videos, and text induced such varied emotions that I hardly knew what to do. I felt horror and anger, disgust and awe, shock and…well, you get the idea.

After the museum, we visited Omaha Beach and the American cemetery. 

I remember studying D-Day in history class, but seeing the actual beach roused a great deal of awe in me. How would I have brought myself to run forward towards the Germans with every fiber in my being screaming, “Run away! Run away!”? 

Here is a windy photo of our little group at Pointe du Hoc, the cliff that the U.S. rangers scaled on D-Day.

Left to right: Leilani, Anna, Me, Carlee, and Nicole

So there you are! We saw many other things, but those are the highlights. Stay tuned for info on my host family and Parisian outings!