Provins: awesome and enlightened is the way to go.

Since coming to Paris in September, I have only left the city twice, both times the same day trip to a small town called Fontainebleau. So, when the boys decided we needed to do something for the long Easter weekend, and realized that any big trip would be a hassle because of Easter traffic, I was all for joining them. Today, we headed to the small medieval town of Provins. We kinda figured it out as we went, knowing how to get there by train and then asking for directions once we got there. Which turned out nice since we got to explore and take things at our own pace. I got a very good lunch of Goat cheese on warm toast salad, hamburger sans bun and fries, and apple tart for dessert. After that we headed to the Castle, which turned out not the be a castle at all. On top of a hill, there was a fortress that fit on about the same plot of land as my house, maybe smaller. From the outside it looked pretty, but not that impressive, however from the inside we discovered all sorts of nooks and crannies, endless stairs, and incredible views. After the castle, we went to a cute little museum which basically consisted of all the old objects the town has, from stone sculptures to jewelry to cooking utensils. Next was the town church, beautiful white stone inside, but unfortunately all the statues were covered for Saint Saturday. And last but not least, we went on a tour of the underground caves. It lasted 30 minutes, complete with tour guide.  Honestly, it was just nice to get out of the heat for half and hour. After that we explored the town a bit, headed back to Paris, and had some chinois for diner.

I had a great time, but mostly because we spent the whole time joking between friends. I’m glad I went, and would recommend Provins to anyone who’s studying or living in Paris. However, if you’re not here for long, stick to the big sites.

I’m pretty sure this post was incredibly simple and written in some broken English. This is because 1, I’m very tired and just don’t have the time to write a big post, but I had fun today and wanted to note it down, and 2, because I spent my day with two friends who speak English very well, but since English is not their native language, by the end of the day I started picking up their way of forming sentences and simplifying phrases.  So, here’s just a hint of how funny I’m going to sound when I get back to the states. 🙂

Bonne nuit and Happy Easter!

Oh Jeudi

Today was exhausting, but not because I did all that much. I finally figured out when I need to leave for my stage, which means unless my hours change I can wake up later. Today was the first day I didn’t observe any visits, but instead helped with workshops, the parent workshop, translations, and busywork such as putting labels on the invitations for the opening.

The parent workshop was really interesting because I got to practice my French with real “adults” who see my experience from a much more mature angle. They we’re making little pastries, and luckily I got to eat whatever they didn’t use. I think I’ll try to help out with this workshop more often.

The busywork was actually interesting because I got to see the invitations for the new exhibit and I got to see everyone who’s invited. There’s a lot of invites who surely won’t come, but they’re sent out anyway just because. It felt fun putting Carla Bruni’s address on the envelope, and discovering that Nickelodeon has at least two offices in France.

After work I went to Centre Pompidou to see the Mondrian exhibit with some of the other interns. It was really cool to see how his work progressed throughout the years, but everyone agreed that two hours of basic colors and lines is a lot. But it gave us plenty of time to talk about N’importe quoi.

After that I took the metro home, stopped at my favorite Kebab place, and flopped into bed. Good night everyone.

Lions and tigers and shakira

Last night, I went to the Pinder Circus by Porte Dorée in Paris. One of my friends found tickets for only 9 euros, but didn’t really tell us what sort of circus it was. So, it was a complete surprise when we got there and found ourselves inside a huge circus tent looking at lions and tigers. It was a sterotypical circus in every way, except for a couple things. For instance, i started with the lion tamer pretend fighting the lion, and then it moved on to llamas jumping over camels. They had chinese trapeze artists, as well as “scottish” men in kilts and shiny pants doing tricks on swings. Then, it ended with Santa coming out with sexy girls dancing around him, with chinese dragons running around the stage, the entire cast dancing along, oh and did I forget to mention, this is all while Waka Waka by Shakira was playing the background. Truly a diverse show.

And now I’ve got a buy one get one free coupon for the show, so if anyone wants to see clowns in shiny patriotic costumes, let me know.

If you ever wonder why I’m not a theatre major

all though I don’t know why you would wonder, here’s further proof.

If the link works as it should, this is the short film that I got to be a part of for one of the guys in my Foyer.

I have a tinsy tiny part at the end, where I murder my petit line of “all clear lets go”.

The other American is Eliza who also lives in my Foyer and is doing the same program as me.

It was tons of fun, and the guys who made the film are really talented.

Yay cool French experiences!