Les photos

Neuf Jours

We are down to single digits. I will be home in nine days! I am definitely very excited to be with my friends and family, especially at my favorite time of year. But I definitely will miss Paris! I had an experience different than most with my internship but am still so grateful for the many wonderful times I've had here. I did not travel every weekend but I definitely feel I got to really experience living and working as a parisian. In the risk of repeating my thoughts from my last post, I will make a list of my favorite things about Paris and things I will miss. I will also make another post of all my favorite photos.  In the midst of the last week of classes and finals next week, it is hard to reflect but I think I will appreciate looking back on the things I enjoyed!

Paris Je t'aime-les raisons et pourquoi je vais la manquer
1. The Seine!- One of my very favorite things to do while I was here was to take the metro to Saint Michel and walk from Notre Dame along the Seine to the Louvre. I know it's touristy, but I loved this walk. Any time I was stressed or homesick, I would take this walk to remind myself of the beauty of this city.
2. Pastries -As the Book of Mormon soundtrack says, Paris really is the land of pastries. I will miss the pain au chocolate amandes (chocolate pastry with almonds) I would have nearly every morning before class. I will also miss buying une baguette for ,90 centimes and eating the whole thing. I couldn't resist when it was still warm!
3. Le metro- For better or for worse, the metro was always there to get me anywhere and everywhere, usually in a timely manner. Though it is smelly and sometimes packed, I got the hang of it quickly.
4. The architecture- Other than the eyesore that is tour Montparnasse, Parisian buildings are beautiful  though they do all look very similar so it's hard to know which arrondissement you are in.
5. Sacre Coeur and Montmartre- My favorite area of the city! Once you are on the steps of Sacre Coeur and see the whole city, you realize just how big it is. Yet this area maintains a different feel, keeping to its bohemian artist roots well, minus all the tourists.
6. Opera Garnier- Though I never got the chance to see an opera at this opera house, it is truly one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen! I wish I could live there! I hope the Phantom doesn't mind!
7. Galleries Lafayette- Though I could never afford anything here probably ever in my life, it is the most beautiful store in the world!
8. La Tour Eiffel- As cliche as it is, going to the top of the Eiffel tower at night was one of the coolest things I have ever done! The view was incredible and I felt like such a small piece to the puzzle of the city.
9. Jardin des Tuileries- Though the weather got cold very fast, one of my favorite memories was going here on the last warm day and doing my homework. It was so nice to be in this beautiful park in the heart of the city. It truly was an escape!
10. Centre Pompidou- This modern art museum with its crazy architecture has with it some crazy people when it's warm. This is one of the first places we went at the beginning of the semester, and that's when it really hit me that I lived in Paris.
11. Les Beaux Arts- I don't think theatre and opera qualify as les beaux arts, but I can't forget to mention them. My theatre class allowed me to go to so many great plays! My parents helped fund my "trips" to see La Noce de Figaro at Opera Bastille and West Side Story at Theatre Chatelet! These were such amazing performances that I will never forget!

I have done and seen so much more than the list above but those are some of my favorites! I know I will have to come back and see all these things again maybe with my family so I can show them around! Overall, I had a great experience and learned so much. I met some great people that I will definitely be keeping in touch with as well. I have only two more days of classes, then finals and then I will be home! Thanks for all of you who followed me and helped support me by reading this blog! I will post pictures and may have one last post on the flight home but if this is the last post, thanks for reading!

Au revoir!

Les derniers jours

It is officially December meaning there are only three weeks left until I am home. It is bittersweet as I am extremely excited to be back with my family and friends for my favorite time of year, but I will miss Paris. It has definitely been tough adjusting to Parisian life, but looking back I have learned so much. I think maybe I can make it in a city after all. I know I really got caught up for a while in the daily grind. I felt like I had a job of sorts with my internship. Working on Fridays was particularly tough with many of my friends traveling every weekend. But, I do not regret my internship by any means. I think I've gained a lot of confidence and assertiveness as a teacher. Many of the kids do seem to really like me and both teachers I've worked with have given me a lot of positive feedback. I have also been a little more understanding of the kids situation in these last weeks. Middle school is a very hard time for anyone and they are very stressed.That doesn't excuse their disrespectful behavior but I do understand not wanting to do work in a language that isn't your own on Friday at 4:00 pm. The one thing I wish is for the kids to realize how important education is. I know I didn't realize it really until college. But I know that because I worked so hard in school, I was able to even come to Paris. I would not have had many of the opportunities I have had volunteering and working in schools had I not realized the importance of school. I also realize how much respect I have for teachers. No matter what age, teaching is really challenging. But I have also seen how rewarding it can be. I know the teachers I work with really want their kids to succeed and I hope my future students and colleagues will see that in me. I see in both French and American schools how easy it is to get burnt out but I think this internship has given me the perseverance to keep at it even when it's incredibly difficult.

Aside from my internship, I have re-realized my love for Paris. La vie est dur (life is hard) but I have really seen the beauty of the city. Last weekend, going to the top of the Eiffel tower with my friend Ashley was absolutely amazing. I really felt on top of the world and could see the whole city and all the beautiful lights. It was so amazing! Last night, I went to see a production of West Side Story at Theatre Chatelet. It was a fantastic production with a simple set, beautiful costumes and amazing performers, most of whom were Americans who went to top theatre schools like NYU Tisch and UMich. It was so incredible to be able to see my favorite show in Paris! Even though people may not have understood every word of the show, they were clearly moved by the music. I heard several people humming the songs at intermission and after the show. Today, I went to Roland Gerros, the site of the French Open. It was incredible to be in the place where so many famous tennis stars have won. I saw the racket Agassi won with in 1999 and saw Nadal's locker! It was awesome and don't worry, I did pick up some gifts for my immediate family as we know how much they love tennis (especially my mom).

I am so grateful for this experience because I feel I have done and seen so much! I do not know if I will ever come back to live here but I can say I've lived in Paris! I have a decent amount of work left for finals for my classes but I will try to enjoy continuing to experience la vie a Paris for these last few weeks!

Dejeuner et n'importe quoi

Today I was invited to lunch with one of the teacher's I work with at my internship. I was invited to his home to eat with his wife and daughter. It was a very lovely lunch with tons of food. We started with some cheese pastry appetizers then had tuna on top of tomato. The main course was a delicious ham with pureed garlic and sweet potatoes. We had three cheeses for dessert: comte, a blue cheese and one other that I cannot remember the name of. It was delicious!! It was also a very nice experience for me to dine with a French family since I don't have a host family. Though I was very nervous, I think everyone had a nice time. I talked with them about many things, especially politics. The teachers wife remarked how he often makes fun of her politics because she is a socialist which I found amusing. It was very cool to hear their opinions, in general most French people I have spoken to are big fans of Obama. I have also noticed how we do have similar problems even though we have somewhat different political systems. Just like in America, education has a lot of problems and there is a lack of respect for teachers. The French do pride themselves on how they train their teachers and though I have only worked with two, the teachers do seem very good. As I've discussed, the real challenge for me at the middle school is the lack of respect the students have for the teachers. I think I will be writing my final paper for my internship seminar on the issue of the rapport between administrators, teachers and students. Though it certainly has been challenging, I still feel this internship was a great experience for me to practice teaching and my French.

As the time is winding down, I have been reflecting on my time here. It really has been quite an adjustment for me to live in a city. I have mastered the metro but am still not quite comfortable with being pushed or told to hurry up or having someone try to go in the turnstile with me so they don't have to pay for a ticket. I still cannot definitively say whether or not I can live in a big city but I do have a taste of what it's like. I was regretting not having as much time to travel as my friends because of my internship but, I am actually glad I have stayed in Paris so much. It is impossible to do and see everything in three months I think. There is just so much! But I feel like I have really lived here as a real Parisian rather than a tourist. I have explored tons of different areas with my friends and alone and have re-fallen in love with the city. It is certainly not an easy place to live all the time but I truly believe it is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and I am so grateful to have gotten to live here!

Enjoy my pictures on Facebook!

Au revoir for now!

Mes amis

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of having two of my best friends, Allie and Megan come visit me! It was really great to see them again especially since we were all here together the first time I went to Europe for the choir tour after my sophomore year. It was so great to see the sights and reminisce. We walked around the Seine, went to the Eiffel Tower, saw Notre Dame, went to the Palais Garnier, shopped on the Champs Elysees and visited the Musee d'Orsay. It was a packed weekend but I think we saw and did a lot! Unfortunately it was freezing out but we still managed to have fun! It was so great to have friends here because I had been having a somewhat difficult time during midterms week. It was very stressful and I was a little homesick so seeing them was a nice way to have a piece of home with me for a few days! I also know from talking to other people in my program that not everyone is always having an easy time but we are trying to profiter with the limited time we have left. My love and thoughts to all those affected by the storm!

Au revoir for now!

Avant tout, pour moi, est l'opéra!

I just had the most incredible experience probably so far in Paris. I got to see Les Noces de Figaro (based off the libretto for Marriage of Figaro, name changed because that was banned for a number of years. But, it's the same). It was the Opera Nationale de Paris and was performed at l'Opera Bastille (not to be confused with l'Opera Garnier which I visited last weekend). The performance was amazing! The opera house itself though very modern had a beautiful interior. This was the last night of the opera so I wasn't sure what to think, but it blew me away. The set and costumes were beautiful and the singers were phenomenal. My favorite was Susanna, closely followed by the Countess. The songs were amazing and all the singers sang with such ease. I was amazed at how powerful music is. The opera was in Italian and though there were French super-titles (subtitles projected above the stage), it was cool to watch and realize how most people don't speak Italian but were still able to understand. That is so cool to me. I loved this opera and since I sang Sull'aria last year, it will always hold a special place in my heart. I never would've thought I would enjoy opera this much but I do. I cannot wait for Opera Workshop next quarter! I also was fortunate enough to be able see the conductor (thanks Mom and Dad). He was the happiest conductor I have ever seen! He was smiling so much and laughing at the scenes. It was so great to see someone so passionate. I really loved this experience and it will surely be one of the highlights of my time abroad!

L'Opera Garnier

I found my favorite place in Paris, the Opera Garnier. It honestly may be the most beautiful building I have ever been in. It was really a dream come true to be there. I also will be seeing The Marriage of Figaro at the Opera Bastille (the other opera house) on Thursday. I am very excited because I sang a piece from it for my opera class last year! I have posted my favorite pictures from Opera Garnier below: