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.