Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Retourner à l'Ecole

Ou, en anglais, "Back to school." The honeymoon phase of the trip where I had all day to do and see whatever my heart desired has come to a close.  It was wonderful while it lasted. Last week I went on a bus tour of Paris with the group, came down with a cold for a couple of days (I was not pleased!), then on Friday we went to Chartres Cathedral about an hour outside of Paris.  The cathedral was incredible, there were stained glass windows in the church that were made in the 1100's.  They were all removed during times of war to ensure that they were not destroyed.  Unfortunately for us, they were renovating parts of the Cathedral so we did not get to see it all, but what they have finished already looks beautiful! The difference between the cleaned portion and the dirty was night and day. It will be absolutely breath-taking in a few years when the cleaning is finished (not that it isn't beautiful now).  The cathedral owns a piece of material that is said to be from the garment Mary was wearing when she gave birth to Jesus. The town of Chartres was so adorable! It was straight out of a fairy tale.




On Saturday night we went to Vaux Le Vicomte which is the chateau that inspired Versailles.  King Louis XIV's financial administrator built it and invited the king to a dinner party once the chateau was completed.  Louis XIV became extremely jealous, he had the man thrown in jail and eventually killed. Then, naturally, shortly after all of this, Versailles was built (using all of the same designers and artists).  It was amazing to walk through the room where the king danced and ate. Once the sun went down, the staff lit candles on the chateau's stairs, windowsills, and throughout the garden.  It was the most beautiful, picturesque moment.  After everyone had been given time to enjoy the candles, a fireworks display took place (rather lack luster by American standards, I must say).  It was an amazing evening.
    However, Monday morning brought with it the official business that brought me to Paris in the first place: class.  Finding out our class placement was a nightmare, it was a very stressful, disorganized process.  Once I was finally given my schedule, I had 20 minutes to venture out into the Latin Quarter and figure out where the building was that my class is held in.  I placed at the second level of French class. The professor came in and announced that she did not speak any English nor could she understand English. She then went on to give us a "review" exercise that I bombed.  I understood about half of what she said during the two hour class period. When she called on me, I answered with a blank stare and a "Je ne comprends pas." (I don't understand).  I was FREAKING OUT!!!!!!!! This class effects my GPA and I was going to be so stressed out for the next six weeks! I would have no time for sightseeing because I would be constantly trying to play catch-up to get on the same level as the other students in my class. After class, I thought my head was going to explode. So I allowed myself some retail therapy (got some really cute shoes and some jewelry!) and a good, old, American Starbucks Frappacino.  I took about 6 steps out of the door of Starbucks before my Frappacino tumbled to the ground, exploding upon hitting the pavement. It went all over my friend Jordan's leg. I felt terrible, and was dangerously close to just sitting down, right there on the sidewalk of Blvd. Saint Michel and crying. Instead, I laughed. During times like that, on days like that, all you can do is take a step back and laugh.
        Luckily, I was able to drop down to a lower level french class (beginner in fact, after 4 years of French, I am still in Beginner).  However, I would much rather have a six week review and fully be able to immerse myself in the French culture and see all of the sights than be stressed out with my nose stuck in a book (After all, I could have done that back in Edwardsville, no need to travel half way across the world just for that). I also have a phonetics class that accompanies my french course.  This class is especially interesting to me (Speech Path. nerd alert!) since I will be taking a Phonetics SPPA class this fall at SIUE.  I have already improved my accent! However, lets get real for a minute, yesterday I had the most important of all my classes, WINE APPRECIATION! It was amazing.  We had a three hour session yesterday and have another three hour session next Tuesday. I feel like that is simply not enough! I might have to take some more wine classes when I get back to the states :) We learned how to do a proper tasting and a little bit about the wine making process yesterday.  Next week we will focus on food/wine pairings.  I am so excited!
       Last night I had the amazing chance to meet up with an old friend from back home, Kate McCormick.  She was traveling abroad with a group from school and was in Paris for a couple of days.  Going to dinner and visiting with her was so nice. It was nice to have a little piece of home, especially after the homesickness that came with missing the Fourth of July.
     This trip has been such an emotional roller-coaster.  I am so grateful and happy to be seeing all of these amazing, awe-inspiring places and buildings and I have made some incredible new friends! However, all it takes is a song on my iPod, or an advertisement in the metro station that reminds me of grandma and suddenly I feel like my legs have been knocked out from beneath me. It is hard being halfway across the world from the people that I lean on during these difficult times. Thank goodness for the internet! Skype has been a lifesaver.  However, I know that grandma is here with me.  I can feel her when Im looking at the sunlight streaming through a stained glass window, when I look up and see the Eiffel Tower, and even when I'm on my morning commute on the metro. It's better explained by a quote I found "Grandmas hold our tiny hands for just a little while, but our hearts forever."
 

No comments:

Post a Comment