pics

It's cold outside

I’m sitting, looking out my window at Mexico. It really is an unfortunate looking building. My room is situated right in front of it, and from my window I can only see one side of the building, giving me the impression that the Fondation de Mexico is nothing more than an ugly tower instead of the long apartment building that it is. For weeks I thought the poor Mexicans were limited to this mini version of a sky-scraper, until one day I happened to walk by it and look up to see a whole lot of building that I had never known existed.
Beside Mexico, the trees are yellow-brown, as most have already lost their leaves. The weather has finally turned cold for what seems like for good. Out on the streets, Paris is on strike once again. Every other week, at least one group of workers from a variety of jobs in Paris decides that it is time to demonstrate their rights to good pay and benefits, for France is always in a state of revolution. The most noticeable strikes are those of the transportation workers, who simply stop running the metro, RER, bus, or tram, making these modes of transportation extremely unreliable at times. Boulevard Montparnasse, the large street off of which Reid Hall is situated, is a popular spot for demonstration. Today was the second time I’ve seen people parading down it, chanting, singing, and setting off fireworks that make a loud Boom! I don’t know what it was all about this time, but a couple weeks ago it was the hospital workers who were on strike. They even had a bunch of speakers that played dance music out into the streets.
The last couple of weeks have been very busy. All of a sudden I find myself with homework to do, which hasn’t been the case in quite awhile. I spent all of Tuesday researching the topic for a class presentation on immigration’s influence on French cuisine. Since class was cancelled, (it was Armistice Day) I had no reason to leave my room, so I just studied all day until around 5 o-clock, when I started going crazy and left the building to get some fresh air. I took the metro to the Luxembourg gardens and then walked to Notre Dame. The 6pm mass had just started when I got there, so I went in and sat down. It was beautiful. The heavy chords of organ music blended with the angelic voice of a young boy who sang between the bits of the mass that were chanted by the priest. The church was peaceful, and the people all seemed to be in good spirits. I think I’ll go back again soon.
Speaking of churches, I finally went to see the Sacré Coeur, that pretty white church on top of a hill in Paris that is always pictured on postcards. I had visited the last time I came to Paris, back in 2006, but I hadn’t been back since. It was lovely, as always, but even more stunning was the view from the hill. I was amazed at how far Paris stretched into the distance, and was excited to be able to point out several monuments from where I was. The area around Sacré Coeur (Montmartre) is very touristy. It used to be the home of most of Paris’ artists, although now it is much too expensive for most artists to live there, let alone get a studio there. I took a few pictures.
At the big commercial shopping center, Galerie Lafayette, they’ve already put up lights and decorations for Christmas. It’s very pretty. It reminded me how close Thanksgiving is, and how I won’t be spending it with family this year. Our program was thoughtful enough to make plans for us to eat at a special restaurant the night of Thanksgiving, although it just won’t be the same… Halloween wasn't really the same either. There was a Halloween dance down in the basement of the Fondation, and some shops put up decorations, but other than that the French don't really celebrate the holliday. On November 1st, however, they all go and visit their ancestors and loved ones that lie in the graveyard, and put flowers on their graves. The graveyards suddenly become bright with color and busy with visitors.
Oh, and I almost forgot about the elections! Everyone in France is very happy with the results, as you can imagine. If France could have voted in our election, they would have, and they probably would have had a higher voter turn out than we did too. The night of the elections I went to a Jazz club and then stayed up until 3 in the morning watching the news reports on a laptop computer with my Sarah Lawrence friends. For the entire week afterwards, people in both of my art classes congratulated me on Obama’s election, and burst out with the occasional “Yes we can!”. I was very touched. I don’t want to imagine how I would have been treated as an American if McCain had won. Obama’s face covered at least 10 pages in Le Monde that Wednesday, as well as in every other newspaper that came out that day. The excitement still hasn’t really died down, either. Today I read an article about a black man running for some position in French government, and above his picture was the phrase, “yes we can!”
I miss you and love you all. Happy November from Paris!