School finally started YESTERDAY!!! The scheduling Gods were at odds with each other and my schedule (as well as most of my classmates' schedules) got changed four times in two days. My first day of class was supposed to be last Wednesday, Sept. 9, instead I just yesterday, Monday, had my first class. The good thing is that it was worth the wait. It was "Supply Chain Management," and my professor is fabulous. Today I had "Sustainable Development and Corporate Ethics" and "French." Loved both. I wish I had French more days per week, but the official class will only take place one day per week :(
Because classes didn't start on time, our international contingency spent all last week socializing. I seriously forgot I'm not 20 any more. The energy and restlessness is contagious. I have to take a deep breath and re-center to remember what's really going on! My school has had several get-togethers on university grounds and the catch is how cheap the beer is! So they'll sell a beer for 0.80 Euros or three for 2.00. Please keep in mind that a Coca-Cola will usually cost about 3 Euros and so will a coffee. At first I thought the school was insane to do this, but then I realized it's brilliant! They contain all the students in the same place, they drink, don't go around doing stupid things, and have fun. I have stuck to drinking water, but judging from some of the laughing attacks I had during the school sponsored gatherings, you'd swear I got other people's buzzes by osmosis...
I left to Paris on Friday morning and had the most amazing first encounter with it. It really is a magical city...I must live there some day! Maybe I'll go do a semester of my MBA there...I could tell you so many stories from Paris, but my pictures and their captions tell the bulk of it. You can see them at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=109125&id=655926333&l=052ebe9bad
I went with my housemate Mareike, who had been there about seven years ago. Equipped with an awesome German language guide to Paris and with memories of what she had seen or done before, Mareike was the navigator to the city for the three days. My contribution? Finding the hotel, which was great and cheap, and convincing her to get 2-day passes to the Batobus--a sort of taxi boat that takes you on the Seine River to see eight of the main attractions. We also purchased weekend subway passes, but, despite the fact that we had these modes of transportation, the main transportation systems were our feet which were NOT happy with the insane amount of walking we did. We spent about 30 hours (literally) walking in three days!!! It's a miracle we have feet left. It was all so worth it!
One of the things that I adore about France is that there are accordion and violin players all over the streets, on the subway, at subway stations and they really do play that beautiful music you hear on movies. I always thought it was just a little technique they used in the movies to add ambiance, but it's actually true. There's a guy that plays near my house and I can hear him for many songs at a time. There's one song I adore in particular, the famous "Under the Paris Sky." I found this version on youtube so you can hear it and picture me walking on Poitiers' beautiful cobblestone streets with a big warm smile on my face: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HufYtsZO3qI . I've always loved this music, but hearing it live all over the place is a real treat; indeed, Paris and Poitiers come with their own soundtracks. I share this to go on to describe my first meeting with the Eiffel Tower...
I must tell you that I cried when I saw the Eiffel Tower. I didn't expect to cry at all. Mareike and I were on the metro when she said, "Look Marcia, there's the Tower." At the exact same time an accordion player began playing the Beatle's "Yesterday" and the waterworks began. I was surprised to be so moved by the sight of the tower and hearing that song just made it a complex, funny, sad, lovely juxtaposition of memories, cultures, and feelings. My dad made The Beatles the official soundtrack of about 6 months of our lives when we lived in Venezuela...
An American/Venezuelan/Guatemalan/Salvadorean in Paris...
The tower is more beautiful than I could imagine. Yes, I've seen many pictures of it and it is in fact inanimate, but when it's standing before you, or should I say when you're standing before it, it looks dynamic. It's probably got something to do with the way the sun or night light reflects on it and how the clouds circumvent it...It's also incredibly accessible, so you can see it from every possible angle, bottom, top, side, and inside as one takes the lift to the second and then to the final and top floor. It's regal. I loved the smoothness of its lines and arches and how this 100+ year old was so refined from its inception...If you've seen it you may know what I'm talking about, if not, you will know when you come here.
I took over 600 pictures in three days, over half of them featuring the tower. Thankfully I've narrowed them down to less than 150. I told a friend this week that the Eiffel Tower stole my heart and the rest of Paris stole the rest of me. All of me. Being on the Seine, walking the Champs Elysees, walking into Notre Dame, and exploring many non-touristy neighborhoods, I was able to feel the pulse of Paris. Everywhere you turn you see art, statues, buildings, fountains, churches, museums, houses, cafes, restaurants, and shops that are beautiful for the sake of beauty. I picture God grabbing several handfuls of seeds and randomly throwing them all over Paris and then I picture each seed producing a beautiful work of art or an amazing building. It's random because you can be walking down a 'simple' street and turn the corner and you run into a beautiful monument and then you keep walking and two blocks later there's an even bigger one or older one or more modern one...
The only thing I would have liked to bring to Paris is a boyfriend so I could kiss him under every bridge on the Seine...As I seriously joked or joked seriously on one of my picture captions: "Now taking applicants." I did get a warm and sweet welcome from a handsome waiter at the Tuilieres Gardens between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde. He asked me for a kiss as soon as Mareike and I arrived and I figured it was just his fun way of working to get a nice tip so I just laughed it off. But my theory was debunked when, after splitting the bill between my housemate and I, I requested milk for my coffee and, instead of saying anything, he very beautifully and sweetly proceeded to respond to my request by giving me a nice kiss of the cheek...
Like I said, I'm in love with France!
I'm really excited that classes finally begun and that I'm on study mode now...Today was the first cold and rainy day in Poitiers and it was lovely. It rained about a week and a half ago, but it was warm. My housemates and I are all getting along great. The five of us represent USA/Venezuela/Guatemala, Korea, Germany, Portugal and Mexico. It's a wonderful household.
Church...Today we got together with two guys from my church to pick a theme and develop an outline to present it this or next week. We picked Romans 8 and are focusing on verses 28 and on. 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God." It's quite beautiful and very encouraging in every way. I keep thanking God for this amazing experience. Being able to even congragate in French is wonderful!
Job searching...I'm canvassing the school and nearby coffee shops with my flyer for tutoring English and Spanish. I want to make more money so I can travel more. Would you guys believe that right now on sale you can buy a round-trip flight from Poitiers to London for 20 Euros? That's the equivalent of US$30. Going from Poitiers to Paris by train costs 6 times more!!! At prices like that I should be traveling every weekend, but I know myself and know the expenses at the destination will add up quickly. As it is, once the semester ends, I'll spend a month in Italy, Spain, and Portugal, so these little side trips are a total luxury. My visa allows me to work 60% of the time, but I just want to work 5-10 hours per week. Enough to squeeze in more trips before school is out. I'd love to work at a cafe or something like that, but the job market seems pretty reduced in Poitiers...Anyway, wish me luck in my hunt :)
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