Entry from July 8, Places Visited, Classes, Art, History

8 juillet 2009

I have finals tomorrow, so I’m using my brief study break to recall all or most of the famous French monuments and museums I’ve visited during my six-week stint in Paris. Just so you know, I’ve probably seen a lot more than what I’ve listed:

Le Cimetiere du Pere-Lachaise (Pere Lachaise Cemetery, where Tim Morrison, Marcel Proust, Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, George Melies, and many others are buried)

The Catacombs of Paris

La Sainte-Chapelle (Saint Chapelle)

La Conciergerie

La Maison de Victor Hugo (Victor Hugo’s house)

La Tour Eiffel (Eiffel Tower)

La Basilique Saint-Remi de Reims (Saint Remi Basilica in Rheims)

Palais du Tau (Tau Palace)

Le Louvre (The Louvre)

Cathedrale de Reims (Rheims Cathedral/Notre-Dame de Reims)

Air and Space Museum

Normandy

Brittany

Rennes

St. Malo

La Cathedrale de Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent’s Cathedral)

Le Mont-St-Michel (Mount Saint Michel)

Chateau de Vincennes

Le Musee de Jean Moulin (Jean Moulin Museum)

Les Invalides (Lots of military/WWII stuff)

Omaha Beach

Caen

La Basilique de Saint-Denis (Saint Denis Basilica)

Le Pantheon (The Pantheon)

Eglise de la Madeleine (Madeleine’s church)

La Defense

Montmartre

Sacre Coeur

Monet Museum

Holocaust Memorial museum

Notre Dame

L’Arc de Triomphe

La Seine (The Seine)

Place des Vosges

Cluny Museum

St. Michel Fountain

I can’t count the amount of places I’ve visited in this jam-packed six-week academic program. I’ve complained a lot throughout the program, but now that it’s over, I feel incredibly fortunate to know the city of Paris so well.

I walked into the program in hopes of having as much fun as possible. I didn’t think I’d need to take my classes seriously, and in the beginning, my grades suffered. I wouldn’t admit that I was in Paris for academic purposes. To be honest, I’ve wanted to take a year off college for a long time, and this summer had me seriously considering taking fall semester off to just relax. I’ve been at war with academics since I started first grade, but the war will be done when I graduate in May. There’s not much time left in school.

Anyway, this program forced me to learn, and I literally want to bow to Madame for making me work so hard. I feel like I’ve scratched the surface of Parisian history, and I actually enjoyed reading everything. The French Revolution is fascinating, especially when given the opportunity to see Versailles and feel the same disgust that the poor French public must have felt in the late 1770’s. It’s equally interesting to learn about the decapitation of Saint-Denis and proceed to visit the Saint-Denis Basilica, where Marie Antoinette is buried. Last semester, I learned about a Monet painting in my Classics 329 class, and I actually saw it in person at the Monet museum. There’s always the Mona Lisa (or La Jaconde).

Most people don’t realize how rich Parisian history is. When I came here, I assumed I’d be going out every single night and wanting to get the most out of Parisian nightlife. After having that fix, I felt there was more to studying abroad than getting wasted all the time, at least for me. I definitely drank, but I realized for the millionth time that I’m just really bad at being a college student when it comes to alcohol and partying. If I go out, I’ll make it count. I refuse to sacrifice a good night’s sleep for a so-so evening out at the bar, where I’m just going to get creeped on by strange French men in their late 20’s.

I’m walking out of this trip with a tremendous appreciation for European history and art. I’m not sure I can handle walking into another museum for the next few months, but I love everything that I’ve gained from this program. If there’s a round two to my study abroad adventures, I’d like to take a lighter academic load just so I don’t have to torment myself in the beginning, but in the end, I’m so glad I was forced to buckle down and learn in a fascinating environment.

Studying Abroad can be dangerous. Now I want to travel everywhere. I’m actually upset that I’ll only be visiting Cannes and Rome after my Paris studies. I want to go to Germany, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Poland, Africa, Russia, China, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Hong Kong, and everywhere imaginable now. I never had an interest in visiting most of those places before this experience. Paris is very Americanized, so I felt this was an easy transition for US residents going abroad. Most Parisians speak English, and French is a romance language, which is easy to pick up on if you’re familiar with Spanish, Italian, Portugeuse, and even English.

I kind of want to do another program in South America, where the host families are supposedly very down to earth and warm. I got lucky with my host family, but the French culture doesn’t feel very warm to me at all. I always get excited when I meet another American on the streets of Paris. The American candor is refreshing.

I must say, the French are much kinder than they’re given credit. They put up with many grievances from Americans who automatically say, “Do you speak English?” instead of “parlez-vous anglais?” If Paris has rubbed off on me in the least bit, it shows in my annoyance at Americans who don’t even try to speak minimal French. It’s not that hard to approach someone with, “bonjour madame/monsieur, parlez-vous anglais?”

The French cater to us in so many ways. I have yet to see a French person flip out on an obnoxious American. I was only made fun of once, and even that guy apologized for being so unnecessarily mean. He was a jerk regardless of his French citizenship, so I wouldn’t use him as the French standard.

I have sounded like the biggest moron at times, and the French have been nothing but helpful. I’ve accidentally asked the host family’s son if he needed a rifle instead of a shoe, and I rambled on and on with my bad accent for the first week in Paris. The little kids always came to my rescue when I stumbled upon a word, and the parents nicely corrected my bad pronunciation.

The host dad said I’ve made tremendous progress, and I’d like to think he’s correct. It makes sense, in a way. Fewer street vendors respond back to my French in English, and I’m not getting corrected nearly as often as I was at the start of my trip, when I mis-pronounced many crucial words. My comprehension level is higher, and there are few words that genuinely stump me.

I’d be a stronger speaker if I studied abroad for a year and had zero interaction with American students. All this English speaking really stunted my French comprehension. At the same time, I can never just lose the English language, especially since I want to be a writer. I’d truly be lost if I couldn’t write, and let’s face it, I can’t express myself in French the way I can in English.

This program has had such different effects on my than I initially expected. I thought I was going to talk to my host family for hours on end at dinner. Most French families spend hours at the dinner table, but my family was more American in that they ate quickly and went to bed. With four kids running around the house, the parents didn’t have the time to lounge around and eat.

Less time at the dinner table meant less time to practice French with the host parents. I made up for this lost time with the little kids, who I played games with nearly every afternoon. We’d play cards, watch TV, play with the jump rope, play with dolls, etc. The kids were easier to talk to, but as you can imagine, we didn’t discuss intellectual topics together.

It’s easier for me to formulate sentences, and I don’t have to think so much before speaking now. Everything is more natural, even though I’m nowhere near fluent or even proficient. It took me a long time to get to the level I’m at, where I at least understand the idea behind everything.

Arizona in Paris is a nice introductory study abroad program. It’s probably the only abroad program I’ll have had the opportunity to partake in, but perhaps there’s more traveling for me to do in the future. I’d like to do a longer program in the south of France, without the assistance of UA students. I could even foresee myself doing a program in an entirely different country where there’s little to no American influence. It would be nice to feel like a true foreigner.