Blogs from Île-de-France, France, Europe - page 471

the Flight Kelley's dad dropped us off at the airport with plenty of times to spare. So while waiting for our plane to board, Kelley went and got some Burger King and I watched the people with the obnoxious child. WE eventually got on our plane, Kelley was kind of spazing out even with all the drugs she took. We landed a little early in Chicago, Jenn came running over worried that we had missed our flight. She thought we had a longer layover than we did. We ended up sitting just behind Jenn on the flight from Chicago to Paris so that was pretty cool. Once again Kelley panicked a little. She is a horrible flyer! The flight, however, was not bad at all. It didn't drag on like the last time I flew to ... read more

As of the late date of October 10 I began “real” school. Whereas before I only had 3 consecutive hours a day of “Intensive Language Program,” I know have ~ 5 classes which are unfortunately spread all across my days in very awkward ways. Let’s have a look at what exactly Winnie is studying here in France. First of all, the program I am studying in is called “The Parisian Center for Critical Studies” mmhmm, excellent, but what exactly does that mean? Well as far as I understand this means looking at art history, film, and literature under a “critical eye,” ie, by studying different French philosophy. So for example there is a class (which is very good, but which I am not taking) on American Cinema seen through French Criticism. I am taking four classes ... read more

All right, so I miraculously have developed a schedule that leaves me with Tuesdays and Thursdays off! This gives me two days off to explore this city without the crowds that gather on the weekends! Yippee. This does make my Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedules a bit long but it is definitely worth it! My first course is a writing workshop that is four hours a week where we focus on writing different types of essays in the French style and continue to learn the nuances we started to pick up in the Intensive Language Program. The professor for this course is a short blond woman who reminds me of Bette Midler, or my fairy godmother as it seems like she is going to wave her magic wand and everything is going to be better. She is ... read more

We stayed on Ile St. Louis, which is the smaller of the two main islands on the Seine on Paris. It contains very few hotels, but a large number of restaurants. The larger Ile de la Cite is home to both Notre Dame and St. Chapelle. Attached are some pictures walking around the island. I had planned night time photos of the island streets, as well as Notre Dame, but it was rainy each night we were there.... read more

...not much, really, but here are some pictures to enjoy. I played volleyball with a bunch of teachers at my school, and I was really nervous about it. As my dad said, "That sounds like it would be embarassing." But actually, for the first time in my life, I felt kind of athletic. I have a week and a half off of work starting Friday for All Saints' vacation. I will be going to more tourist sites in Paris, then heading off to Germany and Vienna with Chase Richards. Hopefully then the blog will pick up!... read more