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Published: June 23rd 2008
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My last week! I can’t believe it’s come so quickly. My plans were mainly to try and get some last minute sightseeing and visits done, as well as recreate some of my favorite moments from my time here. Starting on Monday, before our last economics class, I went with my friend Jessica to a little creperie we stumbled upon while working on a project near the Jardins du Luxembourg. After lunch and class, I went home and grudgingly started to pack. The next day I had my full day of language class and architecture, with lunch at the local Café du Metro, my favorite dish of salmon and tagliatelle. I wasn’t feeling too good, but I went out to Montmartre and walked around taking some last minute pictures with my manual camera in black and white. I finally found the Mur des Je t’Aime (wall of I love you’s). After some more packing, I headed out to catch the last part of the France vs. Italy Euro Cup game…and some vanilla ice cream. While exiting the Odeon metro, several couples enjoyed the evening night and I teared up remembering some of the reasons why I’ll miss the culture here. On Wednesday
I didn’t have any class, so caught up with some friends online, and met up with Elizabeth for our last falafel and burger run in the Marais. As always, the hamburger took approximately 30 minutes to make, and after several visits confirming that it was well worth the wait. And how I love the stable habits in Paris!
From there we did our last visit to CEA, and checking my mail, I had gotten a very sweet letter from one of my sorority sisters who had gotten my postcard! I convinced my friend to go to the European Photography Museum close by, and learned that the new special exhibition was actually Annie Lebowitz. Which was funny for me, because I had seen the same exhibit right before leaving DC! Despite having already seen it, I loved seeing the photos again. This time, though, I was allowed to take pictures of the photos which is something I wasn’t able to do in DC. One of my favorite parts about Europe and especially Paris is that the majority of the places allow you to take photos of the art. Art here is so intimate and everyone has some form of taste;
a culture of making your own artistic happiness. We wandered around getting Berthillon ice cream on Ile St. Louis, strolling and sitting by the Seine and discussing anything and everything. I was so thankful to find myself where I was at that exact moment, and if I am successful in life, I hope to find myself there again. We went to a L’Institut Café, near L’Institut du Monde Arab, had some salade de chevre chaud, and finished walking around. It was probably one of my favorite afternoons and gave me a chance to enjoy the Parisian scenery and drink in as much as I could before leaving. That night, I met up with my intern friend Hakima in the 18th to see a small play a friend of hers was acting in. The theater was tiny, the Reine Blanche (white queen) and we talked amongst her friends while the previous performance ran a whopping 40 minutes late. The play was called Kroum, and involved a rambunctious young man and his mother and neighbors. Of course entirely in French, it took a lot of effort to concentrate on the phrases used, but I understood the majority of it. Playing off some
bizarre French humor, about 5 people died by the end of it while my mind was just exploding with so much other language haha. The next day, I had my last language class, and after finishing playing scrabble in the classroom, we headed over to the Bois de Vincennes to our classmate Aline’s home for lunch. We had discussed it for a few weeks, and she had offered her home to the class for a traditional Russian meal as a last celebration for everyone. The setup was gorgeous, and food equally delicious. Accompanied by our professor, we followed the traditions of Russia as everyone toasted to our future success with French. I explained during my toast that “this has been an experience of discovering so much about so many other countries, and that with French, I hope everyone would be lucky enough to find their own place in French culture.” We left after a very satisfying lunch, and I headed for the free Thursday night at the Musee d’Orsay. I met up with my friends Jessica and Katrina for a nice dinner in the clock café. During Spring Break, one of my favorite things I had done during my time
in Paris, was having soup and a café crème while gazing out of the clock onto a setting Parisian sun. Unfortunately I had eaten more than I planned at the lunch, but I still enjoyed a café. I wandered through the 5th floor and saw some famous Whistler paintings and Degas ballerinas.
Friday morning I realized it was my last full day in Paris. I met up with Elizabeth at my metro stop, and we went up to Oberkampf and into one of the many bustling cafes we had always been on the outside looking in. Café Charbon was so accurately named, the inside gleaming with art nouveau and lingering designs from the former casino. Large sparkling mirrors and paintings of old fashioned ballroom dancers added to the ambiance as we had a very good lunch of beef tartare, salade, and pomme frites (French fries). The place next door was named Nouveau Casino and was almost always guaranteed to be packed on a Friday or Saturday night, and it was so interesting to finally visit the old Casino part. It was one of the most gorgeous and authentic places I had been to, and we both wondered yet again
L'As du Falafel
Favorite falafel place in the Marais, even Lenny Kravitz recommends it! why we hadn’t spent more time there. Before the check out our program had scheduled, we returned back to my apartment and got everything ready to clean up. After our check out finished, I got some last minute bread from the baker and stopped at a pizza shop before heading down to the Champ de Mars. It was a perfect last evening of gazing at the Eiffel Tower in front of a lingering sunset, singing along with a guitar and picnicking with friends. As the crowds began to go, I stopped for my last chocolat chaud avec chantilly (hot chocolate with whipped cream) before taking my last look back at the ultimate symbol of France and everything I’ve been working for. On my way home, I stopped along all the little shops and said goodbye to all of the Rue St. Maur characters that had played their part in my fabulous semester. They gave me addresses to write to them and I’ll be excited to keep in touch! Though I will miss my daily stops and chats within their little stores, I fully expect to return soon and see the same baker giving me my demi-baguette and alimentation owner handing
Annie Lebowitz Exhibit
Gorgeous pic of Leonardo diCaprio me my favorite French agrum’ soda.
The entire plane flight back to the JFK airport I had to stop myself and realize this was not the end. I am so proud of everything I’ve done. I know also that I’m not perfect at what I’ve been working on, but there’s time left and plenty of it. I’d worked so much on learning to calm myself down and not be so stressed out constantly, especially entering senior year of college and the daunting future plans that surely will be hitting me like a brick wall soon. In any case, I hope to find my way back and once again be basking in the sun next to the Seine, wondering what’s next in this adventure my life is stumbling upon.
It was the greatest feeling to exhaustingly roll out my bags from the JFK check point and see the group of people waiting, and see my dad waiting for me in the crowd! I really enjoyed catching up with him, and when we got to the hotel I walked in to see GORGEOUS roses, stuffed animal and Americna candy packages that were so beautiful! I am a very special girl and
Montmartre Art
"I am a formidable girl"- some of my favorite street art I've stumbled on I certainly missed all of my loved ones during this past year.
Thank you everyone who read the blog and viewed my pictures throughout the semester! I will be doing another entry in about a week and not as frequently after. Miss you all =)
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