I think I can legitimately say that it's spring now...

Hello all! Back again, with lots to tell. It's been a very busy few weeks, even for me. So here goes...

Notable events, the week of March 3-6
-I saw the Boccio Bandinelli exposition at the Louvre, and I absolutely loved it. He's fascinating in any context- we studied him a bit in Frank's class last semester, particularly his rivalry with Michelangelo. The Louvre exposition was very well done, with over 40 of his drawings presented chronologically, interspersed with pieces of his sculpture to demonstrate how the two mediums correlated. I think my favorite thing about being in Europe just might be having access to things like this- the actual pieces by the artists that I've studied. I don't think I could ever get tired of it.
-In that same vein, I had a university break that Wednesday, so I spent the day at the Musee d'Orsay. The d'Orsay used to be a train station, and is now a museum housing Paris's largest collection of impressionist works. I love the museum layout and architecture, and the Degas collection was absolutely stunning- particularly his bronzes. And while I enjoyed Monet's cathedrals, and the Van Gogh room, and such, I must say the Professor Frank has thoroughly converted me into an Italian art aficionado- I was actually rather surprised when I realized how much so. Impressionism used to be my favorite type of painting, and while I still enjoy it, I much prefer the Italian painting in the Louvre. So that was a surprise, but it was still a very fun visit.
-On the host family front, only Aline was at home for the week, so she and I got to bond a bit. She's quite funny, and quite the teenage girl. She was absolutely appalled that I did not like Troy or Pearl Harbor, two of her favorite movies. We had fun debating for a bit, and it was nice to have the chance to hang out with her more, because normally she has such a full schedule that I don't really see her.
-A big group of IES kids gathered at Emily's lovely homestay for a nice, low-key evening of just hanging out. Emily lives in an actual house, which is quite unusual for Paris. It's down an adorable little cobblestone path that's gated, so you feel like you're in a little village within the city. It's fun to see other students' homestays, and get a sense of the different modes of life in France.

Weekend adventures- March 7-9

-Friday: Pretty low key, I spent some time early in the day reading some more of my massive Harold Bloom book at Shakespeare and Co, then my friend and I embarked on a true cultural litmus test: We went to a French MacDo. The French even class up fast food- all MacDos are very sleek-looking, with wifi and ipod plug-ins. The food is better as well, much less grease. And they don't have drive-thrus; instead, they have windows on the side of the store where people who don't want to eat in line up on foot for their orders. Still, a MacDonald's is a MacDonald's, n'importe quel pays (no matter what country). I headed back home to get some work done and hit the sack early, because I had to get up the next day and go to...
-Versailles: Saturday I went on an IES excursion to the Chateau of Versailles, the famous French palace built by Louis XIV. We started out with a guided tour of the chateau, going through the king's public apartments, the hall of mirrors, the chapel, state rooms, and eventually Marie Antoinette's private apartments. It was very cool- there's so much history embedded in everything at Versailles, and of course the lavish decorations are just amazing to see. There are also some phenomenal frescoes and large format paintings, which I loved. Then we had lunch at a little restaurant in the gardens, which was delicious. After lunch we had free reign to explore the gardens, so I set out with some friends to roam. We were a little bummed out that everything was sleeping for the winter- even most of the statues were covered, and the fountains weren't running. But at the same time there was something peaceful and serene about it, and so we enjoyed the little bit of the gardens that we saw (they're HUGE). I really loved Versailles, both the palace and the gardens, and I hope to go back in April when the fountains are running. After that we headed back to Paris proper, and I had tex-mex that night, which was a nice change of pace.
Sunday- work, work, work. I had a rough week- my 8 page commentaire compose for my Sorbonne class, two explications du texte for my IES lit class, a grammar test, a news report, and an art history take-home test.

Notable events, the week of March 10-13
-Finished and turned in my Sorbonne commentaire- hooray! It was one of the most challenging academic tasks I've faced, and I'm very glad to have it done with. Overall, the week was pretty work-consumed.
-We had our first meeting about the Morocco trip in April. There are 20 students going, along with Bertrand (our student activities adviser) and a French professor who works with American programs in Paris, but has lived part-time in Morocco for 20 years. He gave us an overview of Moroccan history and culture, as well as an inkling of what to expect. We don't know the whole program yet, but he's determined to show us the 4 main aspects of Morocco: the mountains, the cities, the desert, and the sea. So we'll spend some time in a mountain village, then visit the big cities (Marrakech, Fez, etc.). We also get to do a desert trek, where we take camels into the desert and camp overnight to see the sun rise over the sand dunes. Then we finish up in a little villa by the sea. I'm so incredibly excited- the trip's not until late April, but I can't wait!
-Christine, another Oxy student, celebrated her birthday last week. A few of us from Oxy/IES went out to dinner with her to celebrate, along with her Parisian cousin and two of her friends visiting from home. They were all very nice, and I especially enjoyed meeting her cousin and practicing my French.

Weekend adventures, March 14-16
-Friday: On Friday I did one of my citywalk card, and roamed from Place de la Concorde (where the guillotine was), through a park, past the palaces, and over Pont Alexandre to Invalides. I also inadvertently stumbled upon this tiny, gorgeous little hamlet type garden right by the major quai d'orsay road. I love little discoveries like that- you never know what you'll find in Paris. Then I decided to walk home. Well, maybe decided isn't the right word, as it wasn't really a conscious decision. I started walking south, and just kept going. It took me about two and a half hours total, but I really enjoyed it. Later that evening the Jennas and I decided to take drastic action, and hang out in the 16th. All three of us live here, but we're always hanging out with people in more central locations, so it was nice (and a little surreal) to do dinner and shopping just 3 metro stops away.
-Saturday: A bunch of us IES girls went to les marches de puces (flea markets) just beyond the northern border of Paris. Les puces are generally considered the largest flea markets in the world, and we spent the afternoon browsing through the antique books, knick knacks, and various bric a brac. Then Emily had some "recup" time with pizza and a Matt Damon movie (The Rainmaker)- on a side note, Europeans put egg on their pizza, and it is pretty much the best idea ever. I love it. We went out to The Frog and the Princess later that night and met a few interesting people, including a Croatian guy who was very insistent that I must be Chinese.
-Sunday: On Professor Montag's suggestion, I went to the salon du livre, which is a huge book fair/expo held once a year. It was HUGE, and so so so crowded! I saw a panel debate with Toni Negri (Italian expat philosopher very well known in France) on Spinoza and the social sciences- it was very interesting, at least what I could follow of the rapid academic French. I'm glad I got to see Toni Negri- I've read him quite a few times, and even though he's in his seventies now he was such a passionate speaker, very animated and excited. The debate got cut off at the end due to a bomb threat, and so the afternoon ended with the salon being evacuated (don't worry, there wasn't actually a bomb).

Notable events, the week of March 17-20:
-Midterms: This week was midterms, so a lot of studying followed by a lot of in-class French essays. Not terribly exciting really.
-Oxy visitors: Alison and Chad, who are both studying in England at the University of York this semester, were in town, and it was great to see them. We just kind of wandered, saw a few sights, and caught up. They're both francophone ECLS majors, so we always have loads to talk about. It was a lovely, if cold, evening, and I'm hoping to make it out to England sometime next month and possibly meet up with them.

So that's what's been going on! Mom and the boys arrive later this afternoon, so I'm sure we'll do quite a bit of adventuring in the next few days. It's Easter Sunday, so I have Monday off of school (the French like vacations, I've noticed). So looking forward to that, and to whatever else the week brings. Love to all!