Bibliotheque st. Genevieve

Today we took a tour of one of Paris' largest public libraries, Bibilotheque St. Genevieve. The library is enormous but has certain inconvenient differences from American libraries.

1. You can't check out books. Apparently some of the documents and books are really old and they don't want you to ever take anything out of the library. Some libraries do let you check out certain books for very short periods of time (less than 3 weeks), but you have to pay a membership or be enrolled in the institution that supports that specific library. And since the public libraries are extremely well stocked, the alternative libraries often do not have such depth.

2. When you leave the library, you have to tell them how long you'll be gone. 20 minutes? 1 hour? permanently? Apparently you only get one 1 hour break per day, after that, you have to permanently exit the library. Scary, huh?

3. You can't search for the books yourself. You have to tell the librarian, via computers in the library, what book you want. Then you wait 20 minutes, walk up to the counter where the books are waiting for you, and bring them to where ever you can sit. When you're done with the books, you have to bring them to a different counter.

4. They open at 10 am. Seriously? What if I want to work at night? Or in the morning?

I feel like I've been spoiled with the Honnald-Mudd library. I will try out this library and hope for the best, but this is one of the first things that I haven't liked about "the French way of doing things."

After getting my library card, swinging into French class for some more Jaques Brel and fun times with Mme. R-G, and a delicious (though expensive) 3 fromages sandwich, I got to hear a presentation on 2 of the courses that really interested me. I absolutely loved the second professor, who's course ("La France multiculturelle") will cover not only franco-africain and franco-arabe cultures (which the French typically concentrate on), but other multicultural communities in Paris (such as the franco-chinois and franco-portugeuse communities). He was so enthusiastic and seems to be very passionate about this subject.

After listening to his presentation, I went down the rue saint michel to Gibert Joseph to pick up some books for the lit. class that I'm going to take this semester. The class focuses on 2 "grands romans": La peau de chargrin (Balzac) and Madame Bovary (Flaubert). I snagged used copies of both for 2,40 EUR a piece and realized this was probably the least amount of money I've ever spent on the reading materials for a French class. In the US, the import fees jack the books up to 14 bucks a piece (at minimum). Here, a new copy of a classic is about 5 EUR (7.50 USD) and the used ones run under 3 EUR a pop.

I finished my day with a trip to CROUS, where I got a pizza, salad, watermelon, and an overly full belly for 2,90. I met a Taiwanese boy who was studying French and Photography at the universities here and we talked briefly (in French) about learning French as a second language.

My walk home was as beautiful as ever. The Seine is a beast of beauty, Hotel de Ville glows like nothing else, and the smell of nutella crepes fills the air.

Total Damages:

3 Fromages sandwich: 3,90 EUR
2 books for class: 3,80 EUR
dinner at CROUS: 2,90 EUR

Visit to Vermès!

Today after French class, I went to a photography atelier called Vermès with 3 other girls to meet Phillip Vermès himself and discuss studying photography at his studio. He checked out Jay's camera, gave me a thumbs up, and gave us our first "theme" to start thinking about: our neighborhoods. I already have so many good ideas of where to find things that would make good pictures in my neighborhood and I'm glad that this gives me a reason to explore a little bit more.

Vermès is also much closer to my place than Reid Hall (Vermès is right by Opéra Bastille while Reid hall is on blvd. du montparnasse), and since class is on Thursday mornings with flexible lab times (I get to choose whenever I want to go in), it may turn out to be the superior studio to Spéos, the other photo atelier that we're visiting tomorrow.

M. Vermès was an interesting character himself. He took pictures of all of our ears with his super-mega-awesome-high-powered digital camera and his clothing made him look like someone who just walked out of Venice beach. Come to think of it, the whole studio looks like it could comfortably fit on the boardwalk.

On my way home, I picked up some "groceries" (just some pasta sause with meat to add to my spaghetti, some tiramisu gelato for one of these nights, and a soft drink) and made myself a delicious meal. As I sat by the window, I finished my French homework for the evening and decided to walk down to Reid Hall to print it out.

The walk down St. Michel is amazing, and the detour I took through les jardins de luxembourg was incredible. What a place for a picnic! The place itself is gorgeous and the people watching can't be beat. They even have lounge-style chairs -- it's like they know I want to get comfortable. I've decided that I will come back down here with a baguette and fixings one of these days, maybe I can convice Sam and her French friends to go with me.

In the middle of my super leisurely dinner at the Resto U (pasta, steak, green beans, salad, bread, raspberry tart), a man who appeared to be in his late 30s came and sat across from me. I think he could tell I was American because I was reading some information in a guidebook when he sat down. He was really cordial and explained a lot of things about Paris that he thought were amusing. It wasn't until 1/2 way through the conversation that I realized he didn't have any fingers on his left hand. I was absolutely impressed that he was cutting his steak, eating his apple, and explaining things with his fingerless hand so naturally that I had not even noticed there was anything different about it. More shocking was that when went our separate ways, I had learned nothing about the man's life, what he does for a living, how he lost his fingers, or even his name, but I felt I still had had a great conversation. I think that's the amazing thing about parisians -- they don't talk about themselves that much but still manage to be interesting in a world that is built on "profile pages."

I walked home, enjoying the hot parisian air (I have no idea why it is still this hot here -- I can't even wear pants at noon without breaking a sweat) and found that I didn't even want to dip into that gelato yet. A walk home in Paris was enough of a dessert.

Total Damages:

Pain au chocolat for breakfast from the boulangerie by my school: 1 EUR
"groceries": 3,45 EUR
dinner at CROUS: 3,45 EUR

French class day 2: already exhausted!

Today's French class lesson consisted of an exercise on accents, reading Camus' acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize, and listening to Jacques Brel (my French teacher adooores Jacques Brel). After feeling exhausted and ready to sip a hot chocolate and take a nap, I ran over the the resto u for some salad, sausage, veggies, mashed potatoes, and a raspberry tart thinking that a full stomach would wake me up. It did.... until the Art History professor showed us slides of some of the art we will see this weekend in Provence. When the lights went down, my eyelids got exponentially heavier.

After class, I hit up some supermarchés to grab some ingredients for the caprese salads that Taylor and I were planning to make. 1 kg of tomatoes for 1 EUR is not too bad....

When I start feeling more rested, I'll update with some more interesting information, but I don't think I'm going to be doing much before Friday morning when we leave for AIX, Marseille, Cassis, Saint-Rémy, and Avignon.

Total Damages today:

Breakfast of Madeleines: ,80 EUR
Lunch at Resto U: 2,90 EUR
1 kg tomatoes: 1 EUR
Pesto: 1,53 EUR
Mozzarella balls: ,89 EUR each (I bought 2 = 1,78 EUR)

1st Day of French Class

This morning I got up at 7, did my morning routine, and was out the door just before nine so that I could be ready to buy another 1,33 EUR bottle of champagne at the grocery store right when the doors open. Mimosas anyone? I could really get used to this...

When it got close to 10, I decided to take my refreshed and bundled up self out to the Cimetiere du Montparnasse and hung out with the late great writers, photographers, and philosophers who rest there. On Simone de Beauvoir and Sartre's grave, there were so many little notes that people had written about how much these two people had changed their lives. Considering that it rained last night, these must have all come from this morning -- that means before 10am when I arrived there. I thought about how many people might have written such notes over a lifetime and it boggled my mind.

After my jaunt about the cimetiere, I met my program for lunch at the Resto U, curtosy of SLC. We went into a different dining room today, and I didn't like it quite as much as the one I usually frequent, but there were a lot more chairs and the deserts and salads were relatively the same.

After a delicious raspberry tart and a quick walk back to Reid Hall, I began my first day of French class with my new French teacher, Mme Roland-Gosselin. She is extremely French. We began the class with a dictation, and she had us go up to the chalkboard in front of the class to write it. If you have never been in a classroom outside of the US, this appears to be cruel and unusual punishment. However, Mme Roland-Gosselin is a sweetheart -- this is just how they do things in France, apparently. I love that since she hasn't quite learned all of our names yet, she calls us all "mon chéri" or variations of the sort.

Mme Roland-Gosselin informed us that we must have a classeur à anneaux, so I went over to Gibert-Joseph to get one. Let me take the time to inform you, in case you didn't know and don't want to look like the dumb confused American when you ask a salesperson for help like I did, that 3 ring binders in France do not exist. They have 4 rings. And you wouldn't want a 3 ring binder here anyway because the hole punchers punch 4 holes. If you wanted to bring any school supplies with you to France, think again!

Feeling much more educated, I left Gibert-Joseph with the 3,80 EUR binder and headed down towards the Seine. I've enjoyed walking when I have the time, since it is very easy and much more beautiful that the Metro. The street Saint Michel (where Gibert-Joseph is) leads me right to the Seine where I hook a right, walk till I hit Notre Dame, hook a left and walk all the way down to my apartment. Easy, right?

When I got back home, I did my French homework and made some dinner. I'm feeling pretty exhausted now because, even though I didn't walk that much today, I did get up pretty early. I think I might call it a night. Tomorrow brings more of Mme Roland-Gosselin and a presentation about our upcoming trip to le sud (the south of France)!

Total damages:
1 bottle of Champagne: 1,33 EUR
1 binder (4 rings): 3,80 EUR

Lundi -- J'ai fait du shopping

Before I left for France I got some very generous donations to the "keep Emily chic" fund from both my mother and grandmother with instructions that these donations were best to be spent on the latest French fashions. Being the frugal girl that I am, I had yet to spend more that 7,50 EUR of this money on clothes, keeping it handy for a rainy day, a nice meal, or maybe just keeping it out of the hands of the stores at les Galeries Lafayette who are known to eat large sums of money without warning.

Well last night I got a careful reminder from my mother that I had such a sum of money and that perhaps I should do some shopping. I didn't have any classes today, so I made myself a little shopping time slot in the assortment of various other activities I wanted to accomplish. I began the day with a trip over to some of the local vendors, finding little that I hadn't already seen. Next I went down to boulevard du Montparnasse thinking that I could snag myself some lunch at the Resto U after a trip to les Galeries.

To be honest, I wasn't that impressed with the Galeries Lafayette. It was just like every other mall except everything was more expensive. I was even charged 50 centimes to use the toilets, which were just as crappy as the ones in the metro! I advise you all to pee before you go.

Feeling disappointed, I walked down the boulevard to CROUS and had a huge meal of steak, frites, salad, baguette, and a big hunk of cheese. I know some of you may be wondering why I passed up delicious French desserts for a hunk of cheese. All I have to say to you is, it was a hunk of cheese. I couldn't finish the whole thing so I tucked the baguette into my purse and took off to revisit Montmartre.

Unlike at les Galeries, I had great success at the little boutiques on the sidestreets in Montmartre. I don't know if it's because I've lost weight doing all this walking, or if it's because I'm actually built more like a French woman, but the clothes actually fit me better here. I even got a pair of the very chic "skinny jean," something that never fits me right in the states (I have very long legs, so I always flood them and look like Steave Urkle). The best thing about the clothes here is that I noticed my clothing size is for the most part the same as my shoe size: 40. How easy is that?

These are the jeans hanging out on my bright blue couch --->


The boutiques in Montmartre aren't that expensive either (not cheap, but a decent bargain when we're talking Paris). Sweaters were going at 10 to 15 EUR a pop for anything not-cashmere, and I got myself a nice, wool, red peacoat that I absolutely adore for only 23 EUR (about 35 dollars). The punk/ military look seems to be very "in" here, and both the jacket and the skinny jeans reflect that style in a very subtle way.

Feeling that 38 Euros out the door was enough shopping damage to satisfy my mother for one day, I decided to trek back from Montmartre via rue des martyrs, a "long" street ("long" being very relative as nothing is really that long in Paris) which goes from the 18e to the 9e. I felt very epic making the same journey as Saint Denis supposedly made, even though I wasn't headless or immortal. Most of the street felt pretty old world, except for the Carrefour which installed itself about half way down the street. There were chocolatiers and patisseries, antique dealers and ateliers -- I think if I had just gotten beheaded, I would have liked to walk down such a wonderful street as well (though I realize Saint Denis was beheaded before such a street existed).

When I made it to the bottom, I wandered about the 9e a little bit, remembering that GOUTU, the 1 EUR sandwich shop, was in the 9e. When I found it, they were just closing but I managed to get myself a sandwich for later: turkey, coleslaw, and curry. To be honest, I don't know if it was worth my 2 EUR -- it's pretty much as small as the dinner-roll sized baguette we get at Resto U. For only 90 more centimes, I could have gotten a full meal and seat right next to my school. I'm still intrigued by the sandwich (perhaps it is delicious) but I don't think I will frequent GOUTU as often as I thought I might have.

I walked home via my normal route along the Seine, spotting lovers and venders and musicians everywhere. The streets really smell delicious here at around 1-2 pm, I've noticed.

The day is still young -- only 5:46pm here -- so I may just put on my new jacket and flâner. My dinner is really portable after all -- pocket size, you might say!

Total damages:
Using the bathroom at les Galeries Lafayette: ,50 EUR
Lunch at CROUS: 2,90 EUR
Skinny Jeans and Red Jacket: 37.98 EUR total including taxes
Sandwich at Goutu: 2 EUR

I am alive!

This entry is dedicated to my mother, who, bless her heart, was terribly worried that I didn't put in a blog entry asap.

Yesterday I went to eat at resto U (CROUS) and loved it. Truly fabulous. They are on "points" system there so you can choose whatever items you want so long as they add up to 6 points, and if you go over 6 the extra point costs you a mere ,55 EUR. Staying within 6 points is very easy. For example, a plate from the salad bar is 1 point, fruit is one point, tarts are 2 points, a piece of ham is 1 point, yogurt is 1 point, the "plat du jour" is four points, the regular plat is 3 points, bread is complimentary, and the water is plentiful. I want to take a moment to assure my mother that I even ate my veggies. The plat du jour was a big plate of ratatouille, rice with corn, and salmon to which I also added a salad and fruit. See mom, not just bread!

After Resto U, I had a meeting with the director of the SLC program about what classes I'm going to take etc... Then I bought some draino (called desTop here) and laundry detergent, returned home for a brief bite, lost my keys, found my keys, and went to a concert at Sainte Chapelle. Sainte Chapelle is really interesting because it is surrounded by la prefecture de la police so that you can't actually get in the church unless you pass through security (even just to visit). After waiting in line for about 20 minutes, we were finally in. Sainte Chapelle was absolutely beautiful (even though it was very much under restorations). We listened to a string group followed by a children's chorus that sent chills down my spine (it was very much like les choristes). I very much enjoyed both the location and the music.

I finished the night up by hanging out at Sam's new apt. in the 9th. She has a truly beautiful place and had a couple of girlfriends over to catch up, eat some snacks, and listen to some music. It was really nice to see Sam again, meet her friends/ coworkers, and learn a lot about Paris. It was well worth the $2.oo I probably spent in phone calls trying to figure out which way to turn once I got off the metro (thanks for putting up with me, Sam). :)

Total Damages:

Lunch at CROUS: 2,90 EUR
Draino + Detergent: 5,52 EUR

Night walk

I made a short little night walk down to TATI and some other local shops before I came home for dinner. On my way I happened across a very cute street with lots of Asian (mostly Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai) restaurants and 1 truly American shop: a bagel café that had a full stock of peanut butter and bisquick. Let me say one thing: these products are EXTREMELY expensive in France and completely defeat the point of living in another country (in my opinion), but I did enjoy that the American food was placed amoung other foreign or "exotic" restaurants as I believe it should be in France.

I returned to the apt. for a dinner that included no products with American labels: spaghetti with basil tomato sauce, an end of yesterday's baguette, a glass of wine, and lunch's chocolate cake (heated up in the microwave, yum!) for dessert. All products of the fabulous F.R.A.N.C.E. Quite a good day for my gastronomical senses, if I do say so myself.

I just got a text from Samouille and hope that I'll get to see her tonight. If not -- definitely one of these days we'll have to cross paths. I'm so glad there are wonderful Pomona grads in Paris to make me feel more "at home."

Pictures to come

Plans for tomorrow:
1. Sleep in
2. Check out CROUS
3. Consultation with Monique (the "directrice") about the classes I want to take
4. Ramen for dinner before a concert at Saint Chapelle (6:15-9:00)
5. Maybe rendre visite à Sam?

L'orientation: 3eme jour

I didn't have to be at school until 10:30 today, so I decided to clear things up with the bank. It didn't quite work out that way -- they told me I still needed a mailbox at mon domicile (my residence) -- but I figured out a plan that will keep my money safe and sound until my landlord and the building manager have a coffee and decide to hand me a mailbox key. We decided that I would withdraw my money and close the account until I receive a mailbox, at which point I will re-open the account (complicated, I know).

Then I went to Reid Hall where we learned about our carte de sejour (yay! another fee!), how to use French computers (it's difficult), and various tips on "good maners" in France.

For lunch I went to Pomme du Pain for their 4,95 lunch special with 1 girl and 1 boy from my program. The special includes 1 sandwich (today was "le lyonnais"), 1 drink, and 1 dessert (today was chocolate cake). 5 EUR was not bad for a complete, delicious meal and a place to sit down on blvd. du montparnasse, but I think I'll start going to the Resto U (C.R.O.U.S.) since we'll have more time for lunch in the future.

The Resto U system is very handy -- I haven't been yet, but it's basically a cafeteria system for students in Paris. It costs about 2,90 EUR for a meal (about as much as a sandwich from a cart) but you get entrée, plat et dessert (and probably some beverages, too, I imagine). The one by our school is open for dinner, too, so if I like it, I may go there a lot.

After our class on "French manners" let out, I went with 3 other students to a librairie (bookstore) on the other side of les jardins de luxembourg: Gibert Joseph. Much cheaper than the neighboring Monoprix and other tourist traps, this librairie is close enough to la Sorbonne that it knows it needs to keep it's prices down for us students. I snagged an "agenda," or pocket calendar, for 2,89 EUR.

Before heading back home, I walked through les jardins and around St. Suplice for a while, just to take in the sights. I'm really so impressed by all the architecture here.

A couple metro stops later and I was back at the local ED to pick up an apple at ,48 EUR.

Perhaps I will go out again tonight? I still have my chocolate cake from lunch to devour...




Total Damages today:

1 lunch at pomme du pain: 5 EUR
1 agenda: 2,89 EUR
1 pomme (apple): 0,48 EUR