Date: Thursday, July 31st, 2008
WE (the students) ARE DONE WITH CLASS! (Sorry, Professor... Now you've got to grade all of our hard work.) I don't really know what else to say. I didn't do much else today besides learn about the Russians, the Chinese, the Japanese, and the Scientific Age in class, ate lunch, reviewed (crammed), was sent to the Academic (aka figural) Guillotine and have now been released. Mercifully.
And that means we are done.
Tonight, I hope we're going out to St. Michel one more time. I can't decide if I should treat myself to shwarma or have as many delicious crepes before I have to leave Paris. I have to orient my decisions on last-minute-Paris-things around food because we don't really have enough time to visit more sites. (Even though there's plenty more I want to do.)
I am definitely torn between wanting to go back home and never wanting this to end. On one hand, I think if this continued, I'd have more to study and more that would weigh on my mind--but I'd be in Paris longer. Right now I'm looking forward to home because I see it as a chance to relax, fully and recharge before the school year. I don't think I'm going to look for a job because it's probably too late and mostly because right now, I can't imagine keeping myself as busy as I have in the past five weeks with a job AND all the things I want to do. (Sorry, mom.)
It's really warm in this building... the insulation isn't very good.
Also, I am now frantically writing postcards in case you haven't received yours (even though I have promised many of you postcards.) I also don't know what to do about writing the Friends of the International Center because I e-mailed Ruth Newark with a link to my blog and I asked for an address (I left all the information from the packet I got at home...) but I never received an e-mail.
Anyway I'm out. YAY!
Showing posts with label tired. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tired. Show all posts
31 July 2008
30 July 2008
day 31: the end is near...
Date: Wednesday, July 30th, 2008
I can't believe it's almost over. I haven't even finished touring the city... In any case I haven't really been blogging because I've been trying to study (key word: trying) for the past few days. I had an awesome Sunday that involved Paris Plage, exploring, the Trocadero, dinner with a view of the Eiffel Tower, climbing the Eiffel Tower, and finding a rain stick... but that's just a bit of it. I haven't finished that blog yet. On Monday I went to the Georges Pompidou with Vicky (finally!) and took a zillion pictures then I also went to the Cluny Museum of the Middle Ages with Zak--exhausting. It was essentially our last free day because Tuesday we were busy all day with class, Invalides, and a (wonderful) Moroccan dinner--salsa-esque dip with baguette, couscous and vegetable stew, plenty of well-seasoned chicken, and a belly dancer who got many people in our group to dance. Including Professor Herbst. And Zak. (Everyone who attended dinner agreed that Zak was the star of the show, sorry Professor...though you ran a close, close second haha) Today we had class, and I just finished my Final for ERC 103. I feel pretty good about it but mostly I'm thankful that we had two hours. I didn't take the whole two hours because and I probably should have to augment what I had to say about the kings before Louis XIV, but it was written and I couldn't very well have too many arrows or asterisks without destroying (utterly) the flow of the paper. In any case, it's done and over with. I am going to hopefully do some grocery shopping, have a nice dinner, and do some MMW review.
Tomorrow we have the same schedule as today except we take our MMW final instead of the ERC 103 one. (Duh.) Class in the morning, exam in the evening. Friday we have a day excursion to Versailles and a dinner at night then we leave, bright and early Saturday morning. And then, it's all over. In a flash. I am currently writing in the middle of a (figurative) hurricane.
On Monday, I danced and sang in the rain with some friends. It was epic.
I can't believe it's almost over. I haven't even finished touring the city... In any case I haven't really been blogging because I've been trying to study (key word: trying) for the past few days. I had an awesome Sunday that involved Paris Plage, exploring, the Trocadero, dinner with a view of the Eiffel Tower, climbing the Eiffel Tower, and finding a rain stick... but that's just a bit of it. I haven't finished that blog yet. On Monday I went to the Georges Pompidou with Vicky (finally!) and took a zillion pictures then I also went to the Cluny Museum of the Middle Ages with Zak--exhausting. It was essentially our last free day because Tuesday we were busy all day with class, Invalides, and a (wonderful) Moroccan dinner--salsa-esque dip with baguette, couscous and vegetable stew, plenty of well-seasoned chicken, and a belly dancer who got many people in our group to dance. Including Professor Herbst. And Zak. (Everyone who attended dinner agreed that Zak was the star of the show, sorry Professor...though you ran a close, close second haha) Today we had class, and I just finished my Final for ERC 103. I feel pretty good about it but mostly I'm thankful that we had two hours. I didn't take the whole two hours because and I probably should have to augment what I had to say about the kings before Louis XIV, but it was written and I couldn't very well have too many arrows or asterisks without destroying (utterly) the flow of the paper. In any case, it's done and over with. I am going to hopefully do some grocery shopping, have a nice dinner, and do some MMW review.
Tomorrow we have the same schedule as today except we take our MMW final instead of the ERC 103 one. (Duh.) Class in the morning, exam in the evening. Friday we have a day excursion to Versailles and a dinner at night then we leave, bright and early Saturday morning. And then, it's all over. In a flash. I am currently writing in the middle of a (figurative) hurricane.
On Monday, I danced and sang in the rain with some friends. It was epic.
17 July 2008
day 18 & 19: day of recovery & the louvre
Dates: Thursday, July 17th, 2008 and Friday July 18th, 2008
Today is my day of recuperation. If we're going to the Louvre tomorrow, I'm definitely going to take it easy tonight. The Louvre was overwhelming as it has always been. I didn't bring my camera and I wasn't feeling in tip top shape so unfortunately I have no pictures and really not much to share, either. Nike of Samothrace is still one of my favorite statues, I still love seeing Castiglione's telling eyes (thank you Raphael) and the Madonna of the Rock's hands still impress me. Also, the Death of Sardanapalus (Delacroix) is still huge and impressive as are Liberty Leading the People and the Medusa Raft (Gericault). No one else seems like Flemish and Dutch painting which I still enjoy. I also didn't have time to sit in the Greek statues gallery and soak up the ethereal goodness of it all...
Today is my day of recuperation. If we're going to the Louvre tomorrow, I'm definitely going to take it easy tonight. The Louvre was overwhelming as it has always been. I didn't bring my camera and I wasn't feeling in tip top shape so unfortunately I have no pictures and really not much to share, either. Nike of Samothrace is still one of my favorite statues, I still love seeing Castiglione's telling eyes (thank you Raphael) and the Madonna of the Rock's hands still impress me. Also, the Death of Sardanapalus (Delacroix) is still huge and impressive as are Liberty Leading the People and the Medusa Raft (Gericault). No one else seems like Flemish and Dutch painting which I still enjoy. I also didn't have time to sit in the Greek statues gallery and soak up the ethereal goodness of it all...
30 June 2008
day one ... phew
Current Mood: Tired (=cranky!)
After several hours (I think 14 hours + of travel...) running (and sweating) around the CDG airport from ridiculous Terminal 1 to Terminal 2A in search of fellow study abroaders and then waiting for em, and then being hungry and waiting in a bus then getting preliminary information then moving in then getting tours around the area then rushing off to quickly admire the Eiffel Tower then enjoy a boat ride along the Seine (a good 1/3 of which I probably missed due to a spontaneous (and wonderfully refreshing) nap.)
Unfortunately none of this (including the other various naps I had while waiting for people, on the bus, etc. did nothing to cheer me up. We had dinner at a nice place called Cafe du (de?) Commerce and were served a nice (doable) cheese/egg/bacon quiche with a tiny serving of salad, a chicken leg drizzled in barbecue sauce paired with flat noodles, and a burnt flan sort of dessert. I would describe it as an Egg Custard without the pastry surrounding. Then we trekked to the Metro and then to a nice Tram ride and now.. I'm back. I've had a shower, I can relax (I still can't figure out how to work the internet via the Ethernet cable but all is well.) With a group as large as ours, it's rather cumbersome to ride the metro. There's a lot of trodding on feet, squeezing into overflowing metro cars, and flooding the sidewalk with our blob-ness.
I didn't take many pictures today because frankly, I was exhausted. I didn't feel like being super touristy (as tempted as I was to take pictures of my food.) And when I'm exhausted, I don't really know how to handle myself too well without snapping or coming off really really cold. Essentially, the 29 other people on this trip will probably remember me as a thin lipped girl with her arms folded over her chest looking exasperated. Hopefully I will do better tomorrow with a good night's sleep and change that! I intend on sleeping soon. Class begins at 9 AM so I hope to do some reading before I fall asleep tonight.
The walk back to our room.
After several hours (I think 14 hours + of travel...) running (and sweating) around the CDG airport from ridiculous Terminal 1 to Terminal 2A in search of fellow study abroaders and then waiting for em, and then being hungry and waiting in a bus then getting preliminary information then moving in then getting tours around the area then rushing off to quickly admire the Eiffel Tower then enjoy a boat ride along the Seine (a good 1/3 of which I probably missed due to a spontaneous (and wonderfully refreshing) nap.)
Unfortunately none of this (including the other various naps I had while waiting for people, on the bus, etc. did nothing to cheer me up. We had dinner at a nice place called Cafe du (de?) Commerce and were served a nice (doable) cheese/egg/bacon quiche with a tiny serving of salad, a chicken leg drizzled in barbecue sauce paired with flat noodles, and a burnt flan sort of dessert. I would describe it as an Egg Custard without the pastry surrounding. Then we trekked to the Metro and then to a nice Tram ride and now.. I'm back. I've had a shower, I can relax (I still can't figure out how to work the internet via the Ethernet cable but all is well.) With a group as large as ours, it's rather cumbersome to ride the metro. There's a lot of trodding on feet, squeezing into overflowing metro cars, and flooding the sidewalk with our blob-ness.
I didn't take many pictures today because frankly, I was exhausted. I didn't feel like being super touristy (as tempted as I was to take pictures of my food.) And when I'm exhausted, I don't really know how to handle myself too well without snapping or coming off really really cold. Essentially, the 29 other people on this trip will probably remember me as a thin lipped girl with her arms folded over her chest looking exasperated. Hopefully I will do better tomorrow with a good night's sleep and change that! I intend on sleeping soon. Class begins at 9 AM so I hope to do some reading before I fall asleep tonight.
The walk back to our room.
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