Paris is similar to Pitt in that at any given moment there are ten activities I could be doing, every street has historical significance, and the people have been very welcoming. However, there’s a lot that is very different here, and leaving the U.S. has been an adjustment. I don’t speak French so it’s been a steep learning curve trying to figure out how to just order food. Most people here speak at least a little bit of English though so it hasn’t been too insurmountable. I’ve adjusted to later meal times, they have light breakfasts here, a midday meal, and dinner is three hours long and doesn’t start until at least 7 pm. Weirdly, the three hours and time in general passes so quickly here. I look at the clock and all of a sudden it’s 5 pm on any given day. The sun doesn’t set here until about 9:30 pm so that probably has something to do with it. Compared to suburban Massachusetts, Paris could not be more different. I’ve lived in western MA my entire life so nothing is new. Here, there are an endless amount of new experiences I want to have before I leave. The only difficulty is choosing which one to do first.
Most days I wake up at around 8 am in my hotel room on the Left Bank of the Seine. I get up, get dressed, and sprint to the dining hall that closes at 9. Classes begin at 9:15 in the basement of the hotel. The first class of the day is Dr. Mr. Petrosky’s Writing in Paris course. Right now we’re reading Hemingway’s journalistic articles from the 1920s. They discuss the American experience in Paris at that time. I like how blunt Hemingway can be, he’s pretty entertaining to read. Dr. Mrs. Petrosky’s class, Paris Through the Ages, begins at 11. In her class, we’re reading short stories by the French author Maupassant. We also learn about the social hierarchy in France, and Paris in particular, beginning in the 17th century. I’m looking forward to reading Babylon Revisited by F. Scott Fitzgerald and a mystery novel called Maigret Sets a Trap.
Classes end at 12:30 and usually, we go straight to some sort of field trip. So far we’ve done a street art walking tour, and been to the Musée d’Orsay (art museum), Musée Carnavalet (history of Paris museum), and the opera house the Palais Garnier. The Musée d’Orsay was so cool it’s giant and houses paintings by Monet, Van Gogh, Degas, Renoir, and lots more. I saw Starry Night and Van Gogh’s famous self-portrait (I had to squeeze past a full tour group but it was worth it). The Palais Garnier trip was yesterday and one of my classmates had the idea to check the box office in case there were extra tickets for the ballet, Giselle, that they’re putting on. We got tickets for next Tuesday and the tickets were only 12 euros apiece! We went into the auditorium on the tour and the background sets for the ballet were some of the most beautiful and intricate set pieces I’ve ever seen. I can’t wait to see them in action next Tuesday!
When the field trips end around 4 pm or if we don’t have a trip planned that day we’re free to explore the city however we choose to. My favorite thing I’ve done here is go to the Eras Tour last Friday night. We bought the tickets the day of so it was very spontaneous and unexpected in the best way. I’ve never seen Taylor Swift live before and I can honestly say it was the best concert I’ve ever been to. The venue was giant and everyone there brought such amazing energy and were all dressed in glittery, elaborate outfits.
Overall, I’m loving my time in Paris and I can’t believe we’re already almost halfway done!