Au revoir, Paris!

Well, I have reached the end of my journey in Paris. My bags are packed and my train to Rennes leaves in about three hours.

For my last night in Paris, Carmen, Kristina, and I went to a movie (La Chance de ma vie-- The Luck of my Life), which was very funny and in French, and left feeling victorious having understood the majority of the dialogue. We then went to an Italian restaurant on blvd Montparnasse where I ate penne aux quatre fromages--essentially fancy mac'n'cheese. I know, not very French of me, but after three weeks in France I'm beginning to miss American familiarities. The day before yesterday Kristina and I ventured into the Hard Rock Cafe to eat cheeseburgers (with ketchup!). We felt a tad guilty, but they were too delicious.

Looking back on my time here, I find my favorite moments are the smaller ones: my jog around the Latin Quarter; my exploration of the menagerie at the Jardin des Plantes; quiet reflection in Marie Antoinette's hameau as the sun was setting; taking goofy pictures of armor and weaponry at the Hotel des Invalides; spending two and a half hours in a small restaurant enjoying a three-course meal. The places I was expecting to really strike me, like the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower, ended up being too crowded with tourists to encourage deep reflection or create memorable moments with my friends. I wish I had had more time here to do more of these small things--perhaps sit in a cafe and people-watch or take a languorous walk down Rue des Rosiers.

I meet my host family today: the family Berthaut. They are a married couple with two children: Maxime (boy aged 12) and Charlotte (girl aged 9). I'm very excited to meet them but a little nervous, too. Classes start tomorrow, so that will be exciting/scary as well. I have chosen my class preferences, but they won't be official until tomorrow. Right now I have two history courses, medieval and Renaissance architecture, translation, English as a Second Language (teaching English in French elementary school), and phonetics in addition to two required French courses. It sounds like a lot but the French university system doesn't believe in overloading students with homework so I should be ok.

Well, I better go have my last Parisian cafe lunch and then I've got a taxi and a train to catch.

Until Rennes...