Paris aux Printemps!

Bonjour à tous!

Since I last posted, very little has changed. One thing that has is the steadily improving weather! I've been told that Paris is at it's most beautiful in the spring, and based on my experience so far I would have to agree! Increasing temperatures and sunshine have sent everyone - Parisians and foreigners alike - flocking to the streets. Instead of huddling under heat lamps (Parisians have a very un-Milwaukee conception of "cold") everyone is eating, drinking, chatting, and smoking on outside terraces and soaking up the sunshine. On a sunny day every square patch of grass is occupied by people picnicking, children playing, parents napping, and the occasional intense make-out session (it is Paris, after all!). 

Unfortunately, during the week I am kept from truly enjoying the weather by being forced to go to class - and this past week I had the added bonus of midterm exams! On Friday when I finally got to relax and soak up some sunshine,  I went with Kathrin (our new student living in the apartment) to help her get a French sim-card and purchase pay-as-you-go minutes for her phone. Then I went to the Centre Pompidou to see two different expositions for one of my art history classes. The first one, L'Atelier Brancusier, is a re-creation of the workshop of sculptor Constantin Brancusi and contains some of his best known works. While I'm not a huge fan of modern sculpture, I really enjoyed being able to see the more practical side of his workshop - including his various tools, personal apartment area, and several drafts and preparatory sculptures in plaster for works he eventually sculpted in marble, bronze, etc. The second was a visiting expostion featuring the artwork of Francois Morellet, an artist known for his work in researching and experiencing with visual art. This particular exhibition, called "Réinstallations," featured many different designs using neon lights, wooden blocks, chalk, and even electrical tape. He likes to experiment with different dimensions - for example, a square partially composed of chalk lines drawn on the wall but completed with wooden beams protruding from the wall. It was very interesting, and there were some works I genuinely liked.


On Saturday, PH organized a "prayer house" meeting at someone's apartment which was amazing! 25-30 of us squeezed into her bedroom and spent nearly two hours crying out to God in three different languages. It was beautiful to see in a city/country/continent that is supposed to be lost and atheistic! God is really doing amazing things here through these passionate young people! After our "prayer house" most of the people stuck around and we walked to the nearby Bois de Vincennes (a forest/park just outside the city limits) for a lovely picnic of numerous baguettes, slices of cheese and ham, strawberries, bananas, cookies, chips, and beverages. It was such a relief - almost a mini vacation - to spend time relaxing, eating, and chatting with friends. Sitting under the trees I forgot for a moment that we were in a busy metropolitan city instead of the countryside!


Saturday night I watched my birthday movie with my host mom Chantal called "La Mome" - a film about the life of Edith Piaf. The actress was absolutely brilliant (she won several awards for her portrayal of the singer) and the songs were beautiful, but the story itself was very sad and somewhat confusing. Rather than travel sequentially through the events of her life, the story skipped about at random through flashbacks from different points in her life. Add to that the fact that it was in French and contained some rather dated slang I had never heard before, and it became rather difficult to follow. I was reassured, however, when Chantal told me she was having trouble following too! All in all a lovely, relaxing day.


Sunday brought church, more sunshine, and more picnicking - this time in the Jardin du Luxembourg. Unfortunately, since we were in an actual garden and not just on the lawn, we were only allowed to sit on a small patch of grass that was already very occupied. For some reason I still don't understand, the French are very protective of the grass in their parks - people are supposed to walk along gravel paths and sit on benches rather than walk or sit on the grass in most areas of the public gardens. However, many people do it anyway. Every once in a while, a park worker will come over blowing his whistle and waving everyone off the grass. Needless to say, it seems like a waste for everyone to be squeezed onto the same patch of grass when there is so much available! Anyway, despite the intense grass regulations, we had a lovely time eating and enjoying each other's company before I had to head back to get some homework done before my new school week started.


Monday arrived, another beautiful day! I had planned on exploring a bit and seeing the Musée Carnavalet - a Museum on the history of Paris. Unfortunately, I forgot that many museums are closed on Mondays. I decided since I was already outside to wander around a bit and enjoy the sunshine - or "profiter du soleil" as the French say! I spent some time walking around the narrow medieval streets of the Marais (a neighborhood that actually used to be a swamp - Marais means swamp in French - when the Seine had a different route than it does today) and ate some falafel it's known for. I also saw the Place des Vosges - the oldest square in Paris and a former castle for the Kings of France - and the house of Victor Hugo, author of Les Misérables (also, sadly, closed). Finally, I made my way to the Place de la Bastille, former site of the Bastille prison that was such an important location in the history of the French Revolution, now marked with a lovely pillar topped with a golden figure. After all that walking, I decided to take the metro back and do some shopping on the sale racks before returning to the apartment to finish up some homework and get ready for class the next day.


Tuesday (yesterday), I received my first official test results from my French language class midterm. Altogether a success, according to Marjorie who looked over the written portion with me. I earned a 16/20 on the written portion and an 18/20 on the oral comprehension portion, (all French grades are given out of 20), which meant "cidre doux" with dinner! (My host mom had told me before I got the results that she expected at least a 15, and if I got more than 15 we would have a little fête - aka delicious bubbly cider at dinner!)


I know that was a lot, I hope it will tide everyone over until I get back! I'm leaving on Friday morning to spend the week in the Savoy region at the foot of the French Alps with Debbie and Wim, returning Thursday afternoon and leaving the next morning to head to Rome with Kimmie! I have to say, this combined Spring break/Easter vacation is great - I can't believe I have two whole weeks! Hopefully I'll be able to post something about my week in the Savoy in between trips, but otherwise I won't be posting until probably after I get back from Italy on May 2nd. Much love and à bientot! And if I don't post again before then - have a very happy Easter!

Joyeux Anniversaire!

On the subject of birthdays...

Last weekend was my friend Kaellen's birthday, so we decided to celebrate in a typically French way! Saturday night (the day before) was the Powerhouse service - a great opportunity to worship and hang out with other 18-25 year olds. It was amazing! What a neat experience to meet with other people our own age in a dance club/bar and praise God! Anyway, Steph (who also goes to Hillsong) and I had arranged a small birthday surprise for Kaellen - after the service we sang to her as a group (a little unorganized but still heartfelt!) and Steph gave her flowers and a cute chocolate cake she was generous enough to share. Sunday night the three of us got dressed up and met up with Kaellen's friend Anne who goes to school with her for a "fancy" dinner at a restaurant called Le Petit Villier. It cost more than I would usually like to pay for dinner, but it was well worth it! For my three course meal I had a chicken ceasar salad for my entrée (the best ceasar salad I have EVER had!), for my plat I had veal in a mushroom wine sauce with pommes allumettes (literally matchstick potatoes - shoe-string fries à la Steak-and-Shake), and for dessert a feuilletée aux fraises (multiple layers of delicious flaky pastry topped with a vanilla pudding/custard covered in fresh strawberries). Definitely my most gourmet meal as of yet - I would go back for the dessert alone! After dinner, Kaellen, Anne, and I (Steph unfortunately couldn't join us) went to the Trocadero to gawk at the Eiffel Tower all lit up and sparkly while drinking champagne - the classic French birthday drink. We even timed it right so we were able to see the "show" - at night the Eiffel Tower "sparkles" with additional lights for the first ten minutes of every hour. Absolutely gorgeous! All in all, a lot of fun and a great way to celebrate!

Which brings us to this weekend...another special birthday.....mine! Mother nature decided to be very obliging this year - it was sunny and 70-75 degrees on Saturday for my birthday. The Connect group (small group ministry through Hillsong) that I'm in had already planned a picnic to celebrate the weather, so we decided to add to the celebration! Kaellen and I picked up some key picnic ingrédients - a baguette (the bread kind), some cheese, sliced salami, apples, strawberries, bubbly apple cider, and three varieties of pâtisserie - a chocolate éclair, pain au chocolat, and pain aux raisins. We packed it all up and joined up with our group to sit in the sunshine and relax on the lawn in front of the Hotel des Invalides - which is currently part hospital, part military museum, and also contains the tomb of Napoleon I. We ate, chatted, relaxed, and picnicked in the sun for over four hours! It was glorious - I even got a little sunburned! (Just the right amount...not uncomfortable but you can tell I've actually left the house since November) After our picnic, Kaellen and I went to this cute little creperie near her apartment and the two of us got dinner there before getting some custard from Amorino's for birthday dessert. After dessert, we went back to Kaellen's apartment and watched some James Bond (with French subtitles...you know, to make it French). We ended up watching two movies (Mort un autre jour - Die another Day & Casino Royale) and I didn't get home until 12:55! Needless to say, it's the latest I've gotten back yet by far and my host mom Chantal made sure to give me a hard time about it!

Which brings us to part two of my birthday celebration! Last night, without me knowing, Chantal and her daughter Marjorie organized their own fête for me! Marjorie came over to eat dinner with us and she actually cooked - a lovely cheesy pasta casserole that I loved! Then when it came time for dessert, they both started being very secretive and went into the kitchen together, leaving me sitting in the dark with Katherine (our new student who just got here from Switzerland on Sunday!) Then they came out of the kitchen, Chantal carrying a beautiful tarte aux pommes (apple pie) complete with blue and white candles and a bottle of champagne, and with Marjorie carrying her laptop playing the French birthday song on youtube. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjXxvooa-0g) I'd recommend checking it out - it's very catchy! After all of the beautiful dessert and champagne (which was delicious - very crisp and fresh!) they gave me a box of assorted chocolates and the DVD of La Mome - the French version of La Vie En Rose (a film about the life of French singer Edith Piaf). It was a wonderful and unexpected surprise - what a blessing to be placed in this family!

In between all this birthday excitement and celebration, I've also been receiving all sorts of cards from friends here and at home for which I have to say THANK YOU! I always love getting mail, but it's an even better surprise here because I know it takes more time and effort to get it here. Thanks to everyone who sent me something - I really appreciate it and it makes me smile to know you're thinking of me! All in all, it's been two weeks of fun and celebration (interspersed, of course, with homework and midterms), and now I need to rest and start packing for all the traveling I'm about to do. But more on that later... love to all - à plus tard!