Je ne tergiverse pas!

Hopefully the title of this post translates as "I do not procrastinate", because that is for what I am aiming (notice the fancy inverted sentence structure...).  Oh, and I am hoping this will be cultural enough to count as my cultural post for the week, so let me know if it doesn't have enough culture!

I am getting a little sick of the metro.  I noticed this today when I was rudely shoved off of a crowded metro car while en route to class very early this morning.  The door literally closed in my face.  I know that we all have places to go, but really, no need to be rude!  After that little incident, I was a little mad, but it got me thinking about the Parisian metro and how it can suck away all happiness from a person.

Observe the entrances to metro stops.  One will likely see people hugging, laughing, giving bisous to friends, and just chatting.  Descend the stairs.  Swipe your metro card and walk to your platform.  Now observe.  Most likely, you will see people standing around texting, listening to ipods, reading the newspaper (probably with really depressing headlines), staring at wrist watches, or just staring blankly on to the bland, white tiled wall of the metro station.  I ask this question:  where did the happiness go?  I will admit, I have fallen in to the Parisian habit of having the expression of wanting to kill someone while riding on the metro.  I just think I would look really awkward if I sat on the metro grinning for 45 minutes straight.  I am sure it is like this in large American cities as well, but why is the metro so depressing?  I think that it is because there is no sunlight.  Also, the lack of bathrooms doesn't help the situation, or it doesn't in my case at least.  Maybe the metro riders are just focused on their tasks at hand, and are too busy to look nice or try and give someone on the metro a smile.

I just think that I would enjoy the metro a lot more if it didn't seem to suck out everybody's soul.  This post is a little long, sorry!  And I tried to delve in to the French psyche to unravel the mysteries of French culture, so hopefully I was successful in that quest.

Mes Irritations!

J’aime beaucoup les français, mais j’ai remarqué les différences entre les français et nous.
Premier, les français sont moins gentils des américains, ou des américains qui viennent du sud. Les français sont gentils, mais ce sont les petites différences. Pour exemple, quand ils marchent, ils ne sourissent pas. Et dans le métro, les hommes me poussent ! J’ai vu une vielle dame qui n’a pas un siège, mais ne personne le lui donne. Je suis allée à Londres le weekend dernier, et les personnes sont plus gentils des français aussi. Peut-être les français prennent le métro trop tant qu’ils sont gourdes mais je ne sais pas.
Aussi, je pense que c’est bizarre que toutes les personnes mangent les sandwichs quand ils marchent. J’aime dîner au restaurant ! Et j’aime beaucoup les sandwichs, mais je suis fatigué des sandwichs maintenant. Je mange les sandwichs tous les jours !
Finalement, je déteste les couples qui s’embrassent en public. C’est inconvénient et dégoûtant !

Group Outing: Week 1

I found the visit to the Musée National du Moyen Age to be very different and much better than I had expected. When we arrived at the front of the museum, it just looked like a smaller cottage/home, rather than a museum that could hold some of the most beautiful and historical treasures within. There were two things that truly impressed me and had my attention for most of the tour; the tapestries and the baths. I have seen tapestries hanging in churches mostly, but I haven’t really been close to them and had the time to really take in some of the amazing components of an individual tapestry. When we went into one of the rooms, there were four large tapestries that filled the entire room. They were by far the largest tapestries that I had ever seen. I really focused on the emphasis that there was on nature in these particular tapestries. Not only was there beauty and importance centered on the person in the middle of the tapestry, but there were so many other activities going on all around; making completely new stories within the same piece of art. This was the first time that I found myself enjoying and appreciating the beauty of what I used to see as just “big carpets hanging on the wall” (as I used to tell my mom when I was little). I also found the Gallo-Roman baths to be such an amazing part of ancient architecture that I didn’t really know much about. The rooms were so much larger than I imagined, and beauty and light inside was just incredible. It was really neat to be able to see what they used to bath…and we even found some neat perfumes! Over all, I had originally thought this tour was going to just be a quick breeze through type of tour, but I really found myself enjoying and taking in the ancient architecture in the baths and the remains of monuments and statues that are held within this museum.

Les Catacombs de Paris

Aujourd'hui je suis allé aux Catacombes avec mes amis, Brice et Eric. Pendant que nous étions là, je me suis rendu compte que les Etats-Unis sont un très jeune pays. Les Catacombes ont été créées parce que les gens de Paris ont été accablés avec la quantité de gens morts dans les cimetières. J'ai pensé de quel âge un pays doit être pour qu'il n'a pas la pièce pour le mort. Avant que les Etats-Unis étaient un pays, France était déjà des centaines d'ans vieux.  L'histoire de Paris est autant de plus longue que l'histoire des Etats-Unis; c'est incroyable!

I went to London.

As the title of this post indicates, I went to London for the weekend avec mes amies Sylvia, Alice, et Jordan.  It was really interesting being in an English-speaking country after spending 2 weeks in France.  Not that I don't speak English here, but it was just bizarre not seeing/hearing French anywhere for an entire 48 hours!  I have to admit, it was a little refreshing, but nothing can compare to Paris for me!

I found that the English were a bit more friendly than the Parisians, but maybe that is just because I can actually communicate with the English...haha!  The cashiers in the grocery store chatted with me, and one girl asked if I were in London "on holiday"!  We stayed in a hostel named the Generator.  Let me tell you, it was an experience.  There was a bar inside, if that tells you anything.  The hostel was fun, but we didn't meet any actual British people.  Instead we met some Canadians, a couple of guys from Colorado, and an old French guy named Julien who was in love with Sylvia.  I was a little sad that we didn't befriend any English people, but we had a lot of fun!

Even though I though the English were a little more outgoing and friendly, I definitely prefer Paris over London.  Paris is way more beautiful.  The areas of London we visited seemed a little dirty and very American-ized.  Why would I want to eat at KFC or T.G.I. Fridays while I'm in Europe?!?!  I can get that anywhere at home!  Maybe it's just becauase we hit the toursity areas, but London was not my favorite. Leaving Paris made me realize that it really is one of the best cities in the world and that I am so fortunate to be able to call Paris home for 5 weeks of my life.  Paris just has a certain je ne sais quoi.  Maybe it's all of the people making out all of the time.  Or maybe it's not knowing what anyone is saying.  Ever.  Or maybe it's the silent metro rides, even though there are 85 people packed in to the car.  Maybe it's even the lack of restrooms...or maybe not.