The end of February brought yet ANOTHER school vacation (French education: more or less 6 weeks of school, 2 weeks off, plus 2 months for summer vacation...I sure would've liked this as a child...). This time, I left with my host mother and the Jorge (10) to do some skiing in the Alps! Not only was I incredibly excited simply to have this opportunity, but our apartment was right next to one of the runs, so we could walk out the door, walk about 15 yards, and put on the skis!! It was a beautiful area, about 15 km from Mont Blanc (the largest mountain in Europe) and the skiing was great. We had 3 beautiful days with the sun shining and mild temperatures and 3 days with variable weather (some clouds, gusts of wind at times, and rain/snow). However, even the weather couldn't dampen my spirits...I went skiing every day for at least 5 hours. It felt GREAT to be outdoors, even if the combination of high altitude and breath-taking scenery made it more difficult to breathe...I soon forgot about all that! I also had the opportunity to try some regional specialties, including Fondue Savoyarde (a mixture of 3 cheeses from the region with white wine and bread to dip, along with an optional side of assorted meats to pair with the cheese). I also rediscovered one of my childhood joys, a hot chocolate at the end of day to warm myself up a bit. The snow was great, just the perfect mix of powder, and I felt great all week until Saturday, when I got a little too ambitious skiing with the little one, which resulted in a lot more air time than I could handle and a sore back. Fortunately, I didn't break anything and my back is doing a lot better today, PLUS it was our last day of skiing, so I can't really complain.
Upon return, the kids still had another week of vacation, which we spent going to see a movie "Oceans," a documentary about (what else?) oceans and their ecosystems, and although it was a good film, I still haven't found anything to rival "Planet Earth." I also was exposed to my FIRST Molière play (a must in France, as Molière is to French playwriting what Shakespeare is to English playwriting), which was a great success and provided another excuse to head into Paris. I took advantage of a little time off to head into Paris a few more times before the end of the week.
March is a calm month here, although I have some friends coming to Paris at the end of the month...other than that I'm just waiting for the arrival of spring...we've had a lot more sun as of late, but the strong winds have kept it feeling cool. An update in April will have my official decision on whether to stay in France for another year or come back to the US...please keep me in your thoughts as I make this important decision! Until next time....
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
December/January
Well it's been a good 4 months since I've written, mostly due to a lack of time and a lack of motivation to write, but now I'm back and hopefully will not let the next (and LAST!) 4 months pass without a little more documentation.
I guess I should start where I left off, although most of November and December seems a blur. That isn't to say that these were uneventful months. On the contrary, they were two of the most memorable months of my life. However, that has more to do with moments shared with people around me than any specific events. During these months, I was also very busy finishing applications for graduate school. For anyone who might not know, I hope to pursue a PhD in Philosophy beginning this fall and preparing those applications was very time (and money) consuming. I have now heard from 4 of 5 schools regarding admissions decisions. As things stand, I have been placed on the waiting list at the University of Minnesota and was not accepted at any other school. I am still waiting on a decision from Syracuse, although given the previous decisions, I expect this will also be a negative response. As Loyola mentioned in their denial letter, applications for an advanced degree are particularly numerous this year (given the economic crisis, more people have decided to continue their studies) and so competition is even more fierce for the 6-12 openings in each program. I have also looked into and am currently preparing to submit an application at the Sorbonne in Paris. This being said, I am undecided on whether I will return to the States or whether I will be spending minimum 2 more years (quite likely more) here in France.
The holiday season was quite busy for me, between traveling and visitors. I headed to the south of France for Christmas, staying with my Mom's cousin who has a bed and breakfast with her husband in a charming village a few hours from the Spanish border. Stimulating conversation and delicious meals pass for the norm chez eux, and I profited to the maximum of what was a wonderful respite from the day to day "normality" (I don't feel entirely justified in saying this, because compared to my life in the US, my life in France is completely different and, although I've become used to how things are here, I would say I'm pretty spoiled in general). Upon my return, I met up with one of my good friends from college who was spending New Years in Paris with some other friends. We stayed in an apartment in Montmartre (northern Paris) and the fog lifted just enough at midnight so we could see the spectacular Eiffel Tower light show (although I think the Bastille Day celebration is better, from what I've seen/heard anyway). Continuing to play tour guide, I met up with 2 other of my closest friends from college who also happened to be spending a few days in Paris and although this encounter was much shorter, it was also very pleasant. Finally, I met up a week later with my cousin who was in Paris and we went to the Cité de la Musique for an interesting exhibition on Miles Davis and drinks and a jazz show afterwards. This also being very short, it was still nice, as my best friend here had left just a week earlier and familiar faces and distractions were extremely welcome at this point.
The end of January, my busiest month here, brought my birthday and a trip to Nantes for the Folles Journées (which, for any natives of where I grew up, translates to "Crazy Days" and reminded me of Excelsior). However, this weekend was not full of candy and art (which, if I remember well, were two of the things at Crazy Days in Excelsior, although perhaps I just made that up) but classical music, a weekend dedicated to Chopin. I saw 3 concerts that Saturday, all of which were amazing and provided a nice variety. The first was a pianist beautifully playing selections of Bach (because Chopin used to prepare for his concerts by playing Bach beforehand) to the point that I actually enjoyed Bach beyond its technical aspect. The 2nd concert was a German choir and orchestra playing selections of Haendel, with two incredible soloists. Thirdly, at night we went to a concert of a man from Cameroon (if my memory serves me well, but we all know my memory often falters...), which was a really interesting mix of traditional African and contemporary anti-folk music. I also was able to visit the chateau in Nantes, which houses the History of Nantes Museum, where I learned a lot about the "Venice of the West" as Nantes was once known due to its series of canals which, unfortunately, no longer exist.
I guess I should start where I left off, although most of November and December seems a blur. That isn't to say that these were uneventful months. On the contrary, they were two of the most memorable months of my life. However, that has more to do with moments shared with people around me than any specific events. During these months, I was also very busy finishing applications for graduate school. For anyone who might not know, I hope to pursue a PhD in Philosophy beginning this fall and preparing those applications was very time (and money) consuming. I have now heard from 4 of 5 schools regarding admissions decisions. As things stand, I have been placed on the waiting list at the University of Minnesota and was not accepted at any other school. I am still waiting on a decision from Syracuse, although given the previous decisions, I expect this will also be a negative response. As Loyola mentioned in their denial letter, applications for an advanced degree are particularly numerous this year (given the economic crisis, more people have decided to continue their studies) and so competition is even more fierce for the 6-12 openings in each program. I have also looked into and am currently preparing to submit an application at the Sorbonne in Paris. This being said, I am undecided on whether I will return to the States or whether I will be spending minimum 2 more years (quite likely more) here in France.
The holiday season was quite busy for me, between traveling and visitors. I headed to the south of France for Christmas, staying with my Mom's cousin who has a bed and breakfast with her husband in a charming village a few hours from the Spanish border. Stimulating conversation and delicious meals pass for the norm chez eux, and I profited to the maximum of what was a wonderful respite from the day to day "normality" (I don't feel entirely justified in saying this, because compared to my life in the US, my life in France is completely different and, although I've become used to how things are here, I would say I'm pretty spoiled in general). Upon my return, I met up with one of my good friends from college who was spending New Years in Paris with some other friends. We stayed in an apartment in Montmartre (northern Paris) and the fog lifted just enough at midnight so we could see the spectacular Eiffel Tower light show (although I think the Bastille Day celebration is better, from what I've seen/heard anyway). Continuing to play tour guide, I met up with 2 other of my closest friends from college who also happened to be spending a few days in Paris and although this encounter was much shorter, it was also very pleasant. Finally, I met up a week later with my cousin who was in Paris and we went to the Cité de la Musique for an interesting exhibition on Miles Davis and drinks and a jazz show afterwards. This also being very short, it was still nice, as my best friend here had left just a week earlier and familiar faces and distractions were extremely welcome at this point.
The end of January, my busiest month here, brought my birthday and a trip to Nantes for the Folles Journées (which, for any natives of where I grew up, translates to "Crazy Days" and reminded me of Excelsior). However, this weekend was not full of candy and art (which, if I remember well, were two of the things at Crazy Days in Excelsior, although perhaps I just made that up) but classical music, a weekend dedicated to Chopin. I saw 3 concerts that Saturday, all of which were amazing and provided a nice variety. The first was a pianist beautifully playing selections of Bach (because Chopin used to prepare for his concerts by playing Bach beforehand) to the point that I actually enjoyed Bach beyond its technical aspect. The 2nd concert was a German choir and orchestra playing selections of Haendel, with two incredible soloists. Thirdly, at night we went to a concert of a man from Cameroon (if my memory serves me well, but we all know my memory often falters...), which was a really interesting mix of traditional African and contemporary anti-folk music. I also was able to visit the chateau in Nantes, which houses the History of Nantes Museum, where I learned a lot about the "Venice of the West" as Nantes was once known due to its series of canals which, unfortunately, no longer exist.
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