Reflection

It is amazing to me how quickly time passes. I have lived in France for alomst 6 weeks according to my calendar and there is so much I have seen and done that goes beyond what is in my power to express. So, lets begin with today...
1.Breakfast: Breakfast is our daily ritual, taking place at about 9 a.m., where the seven of us break our fast with fresh bread, fruit (often tangerines), jam, butter, nutella (food of the gods), tea, coffee, and juice. One of us heads down the local fruit stand and then the bakery for our daily bread. I always expect the locals to break into a hearty chorus of Bonjour! since every morning feels slightly sureal, like being in Beauty and the Beast (yes, I am product of Disney). The fruitman is cool and finds me fresh mango when I look for it. The bread lady gives me warm bread which, in a way, feels like a morning hug walking home in the chilly air with the warm promise of a meal.

2.Class: Rain, shine, title wave, class begins at 10. Today, however, at 10 we were oblidged to be enroute to Saint Paul (and roughly translated the) the Wetlands, to meet Geri. After hopping the RER (the fine french transit system) we trotted out the exit to meet our professor. We were a bit under the weather because last night we were at a galary opening in the Museum of Modern Art. Fabulous exhibit by a German Modernist from East Germany in the 70's- till present, highly recommend it.

3. Tour Time: First we head down the street to the Church of Saint Paul. A personally favorite saint of mine. We get a lesson on the history of the district and the architecture of the church and are then free to mosey about. I said a quick prayer then felt satisfied and enjoyed the statues. There is so much scultpture in France. So much art really. For me its is, almost overwhelming. Beautifully though. Like being in a room with a thousand perfumes. All are enjoyable and the place permeates with appealing and exotic scents. You breath heavy to savor the smell, but have so many its hard to fully assume a single essence. In the end though, you are drawn to a single and personal flavour and it is yours. For me art is that way. - Anyway, on with the tour...

4. Tour Continued: After prayers and Saint Paul, we make our way to the Carnival Museum with the history of Paris, and enjoy an exhibit about a much loved American in Paris:Doctor Benjamin Franklin. It was good to see a Pennsylvanian so far abroad and kinda neat to see how much the french revloution was entertwined to the American. It was all in all a welcome site.

5. Falafel- Okay my spelling is off, I can only beg your indulgence since I speak english, am studing french and trying to spell yiddish..I think its yiddish... Kay so we are in the historically jewish district of Paris and so it is very fashionable to enjoy, and too good to pass up, a good jewish falfael. So in demand were these delicious green vegtable things , that tons of people were packed into the resturant and several more buying them outside from a window. Best falafel of my life!

6.Tea- If ever you scrape your knee, get yelled, get blamed when it was not your fault, try hard and miss anyway, must call upon reserves of courage you never thought you had, or wish to entertain a friend with little conversation, I suggest a cup of tea. The Mariage Frere are a French Tea company, alike to the English East Indian Tea Co., that produce some of the finest tea in the world. Though their only holding in India is Pondicherry, they have such an enormous selection of tea you would not believe. After a brief walk and talk through the petite musuem upstairs, the group we down stairs to enjoy the the tea. Large colorful cainister of tin house thousands of varieties of tea. You say the one you want, the man in the smart white coat brings down the canister for you to sniff, you take whiff, smile, say that one, and get your tea! It's fabulous! - I recommend Marco Polo :)

7.La Defense: As the name might indicate, on the West side of Paris, directly across from Napoloeon's Arc de Triumph, is the place were big business and defense contractors live. Tons of modern archietecture out of Star Wars spread from the ground and create a modern business enviornment. The Grande Arche reflects the Arc de Triumph and we travel to the top. The city of Paris and the clouds are at your feet. The world seems mystical and detatched. The stairs were worth it, as was the scary and exhilirating ride in the glass elevator that was taken to the top. You keep thinking a guru should appear with a blue flower at the top ready to tell you the secret of fire, or the key to fulfillment-even though none are really necessary.

8.Dinner- We received an invitation to dine at the home of one of the local families. The meal and converstaion were completely inviting. They spoke better than we did french (which is often the case in Paris) but I was very pleased with my language negotiation, and they humored me. It was very nice and I wish I could strike down any crude or unkind thing ever said about french hospitality for they are wonderous hosts.
--I will stop here as my tummy full and my eyelids are beginning to flutter with need to be closed after being so watchful today. I bid a good evening reader- I crave your forgiveness for my negelect to write- I will see in the morning.... A Demain*

Champs Elysee

Wow!
Today we went along with Tina (our economics professor) along the Champs Elysee and looked and the Change offices to look at the exhange rates and look at the monetary policy of the European Central Bank in action. More importantly we saw the cars of the future and went to the perfumery and checked out the shoe stores:)
Everything here is super expensive, but it's the Champs Elysee so I guess I can't complain. Right now is one of the two sales seasons. Because markets function differently here in Europe, France has only two times a year when you can get 50% off your books, boots, and c.d's.
Thankfully you can sit with your coffee at any cafe and just enjoy as long as you like and watch the street shows in the Latin Quarter *where all the cool kids hang out* so not everything is too expensive.
The group is actually planing to go to London, we fly Thursday. That should be cool. I can't believe all that's going on. So much happens everyday! It's kinda sureal to be honest.

Paris!

I wish I could detail all the exciting people and places I have come to know in the last few weeks...There is little that my humble lexicon say, other than I am overwhelming thrilled to be here!
In last few days alone, I have run to the Eiffel Tower, been to gallery opening and meet the artist, spent two full days at the Louvre marveling at mankinds most colorful and aweing contributions to art, and visited my first french discoteche. Now, if only there was a way to catalogue them all....
Lets start with the promise I have pictures..I have a tendency to be overly talkative and the pictures will be clearer than I could ever be. Hopefully I can go snare Alexia and she can tell me how to work this infernal digital thing- I am admittedly, what is known in laymans terms, a technotard.
Will write again soon- waited with baited breath and we shall see what happens!

-Au Revior-
Claire

Testing...testing...

Salutations,
This is just to see if this thing works.
There is nothing to record at the moment, except for the increasing sense of anticipation that has slowly begun to simmer in my veins. Now, I can count the weeks to Paris!