I have much to report.

I know the suspense leading up to this posting has been killing you all. You’re all asking yourselves (and possibly each other), “What did Midori do this weekend!?” Fret no longer. I will begin at the beginning.

Thursday, January 22

It was a rainy day. I met up with Heimunn to get lunch and go to the Musée de la Mode (Museum of Fashion) to see the exhibit Sous l’Empire des crinolines (Under the crinoline empire). It was great. If you want a full-fledged response, check out the P.A.R.I.S. (Paris Arts Review- Interpretations by Stanford) blog that I’m also part of as part of Mark Applebaum’s art survey course. I recommend taking a look at it, students are doing some really cool stuff here. http://parisartsreview.blogspot.com/

Muff made from peacock feathers!

Afterwards, Heimunn and I got some macarons from Ladurée on the Champs-Elysées. Incredible. I got pistachio and coffee, and Heimunn got rose and caramel. We did splitsies. The coffee and caramel were exceptional, although I could eat all of them in vast quantities.

I had a rendezvous with my language partner. We were going to go up the Eiffel Tower, but since the weather was so bad we went up La Tour Montparnasse, the second tallest structure in Paris and conveniently located five minutes from ISEP. The aerial view was still beautiful in spite of low visibility, and there is a good collection of historic photographs on the top floor that Aurelien and I enjoyed looking at and discussing. We got some hot chocolate in the café on the top floor before I left to have an early dinner chez moi.

Tour Eiffel from Tour Montparnasse

My host family kindly accepted to eat early so that I could have dinner before going to La Comédie Française. It was a Bing event and we had crazy seats! I was in the front row, center, mesmerized by the performance of Le Mariage de Figaro. The play was great, although I have to admit many of the subtle witticisms were lost to me. The acting was top notch. I especially enjoyed the voice of Figaro; his French was beautiful and clear, and made me appreciate the language more than I had before. The set design was incredible, with a door that was a sheet pulled up and down, carousel horses, mirror/bed, and more. That is worst description in the world but it's too difficult to really describe.

Me and Ali in the theater.

Weekend in Dublin



Friday morning was stressful. I had to get up even earlier than usual to finish packing for the weekend in Dublin (!) and get to 9am class on time (which I did, with the biggest backpack strapped to my shoulders you have ever seen in your life—shout out to Rachel Mozenter). I booked it at 10:30am on the dot to catch the Metro to Port Maillot, from which the shuttle bus to Beauvais airport leaves. I was cutting it close, since our flight was at 1:30pm and the bus ride is an hour or so. FYI- we flew Ryanair, which has very cheap flights but flies into obscure airports. Luckily, it all worked and Jen, JW, Andrew and I got onto our flight without a hitch.

After a short flight, we were in Ireland! It was nice to be in an English speaking country. We took the city bus to our hostel to drop off our bags. Jen and I were in a room with Nathan (more on him later), and someone else that wasn’t there when we arrived. JW was in another room. Okay, Nathan was ridiculous, not in a good way. He had spent the last six years in Amsterdam after planning to stay for two weeks on vacation. He pretty much just stayed in the room all day watching soccer on the miniature TV, smoking cigarettes out the window and stinking up the room, and drinking beer alone at night. He had been at the hostel for 2 months! Even so, he was relatively harmless and mostly friendly so it could have been worse.

That night, we went to some great pubs. First was the Bleeding Horse right near our hostel, and then the Stag’s Head closer to the center of town with live Irish music. We had our pints and enjoyed the hopefully authentic Dublin atmosphere.


Music at the Stag's Head

The next day we went on a three-hour walking tour (free!) that was amazing. Our guide was dorky but funny, and we learned about Dublin’s history and got to see the major sites. Interesting Viking facts: their helmets didn’t have horns (field hockey team, Viking master is a farce!) and they put leashes on child slaves. The weather was great and the tour was a great success. That night we ate a fabulous restaurant called Green 19. No dish is over 10 euro, but the quality is excellent. I had corned beef and cabbage and an Irish coffee (shout out Zombailey!). After dinner we went to Temple Bar (just to say we did) and then wandered a bit, checking out a couple pubs and settling later at a club filled with international folk. We had a good time dancing.

Green green grass

Dublin castle

Sunday’s main event was a trip to the old Jameson whiskey distillery. For 10 euro, you get to see the cheesiest film ever made about Jameson’s inspirational quest to perfect his whiskey, and to learn about how whiskey is made. Jen and I were selected to be whiskey tasters at the end of the tour. We have the certificates to prove we are official whiskey tasters. In front of the group, we sampled Jameson, Jack Daniel’s, a premium scotch. Of course Jameson was best. I hate whiskey.

That night we celebrated Jen’s birthday! An Irish band sang to her in the first pub and then we migrated over to a club where there was live popular music. Jen and I had a great time mingling with the natives and singing U2 at the top of our lungs. For the record, I don’t understand Irish accents and needed Jen to translate whenever someone talked to me. Jen’s flight left early the next morning (or late that night), and she pretty much had to go directly to the airport. I had another day in Dublin, which I spent reading in St. Stephen’s Green and shopping.

The grass is absurdly green in Ireland. It’s a mutant color. The people are very friendly. Pubs are fun. The history is fascinating. Still, coming back to Paris was wonderful. This city feels like home. I even missed speaking French.

I had lots of class today and just spent all my free time writing this. That's all for now.

Breakfast and the Inauguration

I love jam. My new favorite thing is to swirl it into plain yogurt.

I watched the Inauguration at Mark's (Professor Applebaum's) house yesterday. It was amazing. In spite of the slightly jumbled swearing in, I thought Obama's speech was spot-on. He said all of the things I was hoping he would say better than I could have imagined, walking the fine line between the issues with poise and strength. I feel proud to be an American (in Paris).

Today is the Louvre visit for my 19th century French painting art history course. We're studying David. I'm excited to see all of the paintings we're discussing in person! After is a trip to Passy Cemetary to see Debussy's grave, and Manet's if we can find it for my contemporary arts history course. Dinner is at Mark's, as he has graciously invited the class over to his beautiful apartment in the 16e (right near me)!

Ok, off to go running in the Bois de Boulogne.

Interactive

Ok, it just came to my attention that JW has a blog about Paris. Jen is making one right now. JW has four subscribers, I have none. This is a blog war. Please subscribe to my blog. It will keep you updated on the center of the universe (my life in Paris).

Also, subscribe to Jen's blog: jluinternational.blogspot.com

Also, tell me your PO Box and maybe I will send you a postcard. If you want to send me something, my address here is:

Midori Uehara
Stanford Program in Paris
28, Rue Notre Dame des Champs
75006 Paris FRANCE

GOING TO WATCH THE INAUGURATION CHEZ APPLEBAUM! I LOVE AMERICA!

Busy weekend

Friday, January 16

The day started with 9am class, which is never how I like to start the day, but it was interesting nonetheless. Then lunch at Pieds de Cochon (Pig's Feet), which was amazing. JW's dad was in Paris for business, and he took a few of us out for lunch at this restaurant near Les Halles. We were all a little adventurous. We ordered foie gras, escargots, oysters, tripe (I do not recommend), duck, and -- of course -- pig's feet. Definitely a lunch to remember.

Afterwards, I met up with my language partner (an ISEP student, arranged by Stanford) to go the Miro to Warhol exhibit at the Musée du Luxembourg. It was great. You could see the evolution of art in the 20th century. One of my favorites was CH XIV by Laszlo Moholy-Nagy. The attention to detail is astounding.

I had dinner with Jen at her host family's beautiful and sprawling apartment in the 7e. They were having a dinner party, so we mingled with guests a bit, and then separated to eat in the kitchen. Everyone was very kind and had lots of questions and compliments. Mme de Gatelier's cooking is superb (she was asked to do a cooking show!), so we ate like kings and then went out to meet up with the Stanford group.

Saturday, January 17

I tried to go to Les Egouts, the Paris sewer system museum, but it is randomly closed for a week, not reported on the website. Heimunn, JW and I wandered the city a bit instead, going to Les Invalides and then to my area in the 16e. Dinner was planned by the great organizer Ali at La Refuge des Fondues, but even though we had reservations and got there on time, the host wouldn't seat us. We suspect he is racist, since he bowed to McKenzie (Asian), and then did kung-fu moves to Natalia and Tammy (also Asian). He was extremely rude, and after waiting almost an hour, we left and went to a creperie next door. The food was great, and the night turned out to be a great success (photo above).

Sunday, January 18

Day of city wandering. I went to the Champs Elysees
to pick up my soccer game ticket at FNAC (only FNAC in Paris open on Sunday), and then walked through the 8e, the 1e, and into the Marais for lunch. I got some great photos in the Tuileries:

and of the Louvre, and of Saint Eustache near Les Halles.


I went to the PSG match at five with some other people from the program. The atmosphere at the game was wonderful, and we all watched in awe as flares went off, flags waved madly, and songs were sung with gusto all around us. There was a penalty kick, three yellow cards, and three goals in total. Luckily, PSG won, and the crowd left happy.



Today, Monday

I went to the Pantheon today, and walked around the 5e. I had lunch (2 euro sandwich) in a park across from Notre Dame. I had coffee and read in a cafe that played the cheesiest music and had less than inspiring decor. I need to work on finding better cafes.

End of week 1(.5)

I'm sitting in the Stanford Center, checking e-mail and trying to get myself organized for the weekend. It's been a wonderful week, and Paris is beginning to feel more like home. I took some pictures, too, as you can see.

Yesterday (Thursday), I went with the Contemporary Arts class to Meca Musique, a contemporary music workshop run by Jacques Rémus, a very prominent contemporary musician. It was unbelievable. It was in the 13e, which is a more industrial part of Paris, in a building that used to be a refrigerator during World War II. I've included some pictures of the graffiti that decorated the stairwell, as well as of Jacques playing his music-machines, which were mind-blowing. There is an "instrument" you "play" by moving your hands in front of an infrared camera; the sound responds to your movement.
There were crazy canons that resonate when you heat the air inside of them, bells connected to crazy circuits that could be played via a keyboard, and much more. I'm glad we got to see a side of Paris that is usually dwarfed by the city's incredible legacy of classical art.

Last night was the Welcome Dinner, one of the many wonderful Bing events, at Le Grand Colbert. The food was delicious, and it was nice to be with the whole group. I had to retire early, however, since the health class was at 9am this morning!


Ok, off to lunch now. I'll write again soon!

Stairs, boots, bread, classes

• There are no elevators in Paris. The Stanford Center is on the 6th floor, which is equivalent to the 7th floor in America.
• Everyone wears boots. Even the 3 year olds, even the 80 year olds.
• Whole wheat bread doesn't exist here. Which is fine by me, I love baguette.
• I am taking the following classes: Comparison of the French and American health systems, taught by a hospital director who has written 11 books and received numerous doctorate degrees; Contermporary Arts Survey course, taught by the amazing visiting professor Mark Applebaum, in which we are reimbursed 100 euros to see the arts around Paris, and get to go on wonderful outings as a class; Paris Arts Practicum, also taught by Applebaum, in which we create our own art and present to the class; and last but not least, an art history course on 19th century French painting, taught by Estelle Halevi, director of Stanford in Paris, in which we get to go to the Louvre and Musée d'Orsay to see--in person--the painting we are learning about. I'm really excited about all of them.

More to come later this week. I ran around the Eiffel Tower this morning, it was great!

Arrival

My bedroom for the next three months

Hello everyone! I've decided to start a blog to document (for posterity) my winter in France. Everything has started smoothly, and I'm simply delighted to be in the City of Lights. I'm in the 16e arrondissement, a very posh and chic neighborhood with beautiful buildings and expensive shops. I have a large room all to myself, with WiFi that is a bit schizophrenic, but still appreciated.

I got here Thursday morning, and took a cab to the MIJE in the 4e where Stanford had set up camp for orientation. Various orienting activities took place, and I got to know the group a bit. Everyone is awesome, and there are only ~25 of us, so it's intimate. We sorted logistical things (Navigo, bank card, host family info, etc.) and explored the area a bit. We went out to dinner to this great place that Ali Holliday found, and had a delicious meal. It was right next to the Hotel de Ville, which was lit up, sparkling, and beautiful. Of course I've forgotten to bring my camera to outings, so no pictures yet. I'm hoping to steal some via Facebook once they're posted by the others.

My host family is very kind. I'm their sixth student, so they're used to Stanfordiens. They have four children, who are all grown. Their youngest daughter is 25 and lives with them (us, I suppose), as she is studying for the bar exam in September. The food is delicious; all the ingredients are pure and of great quality. Jen Luther and I went to Montparnasse last night for dinner to a creperie, and though we had to wait 20 minutes for a table, it was worth it.

Today, I had breakfast with my host family, and then went running around the Jardins de Ranelagh, which is very near to the apartment. It was quite nice, even though I was running on compacted snow. The park isn't very big, however, so I'm going to try out running around the Eiffel Tower next time, which is just 15 minutes away (walking). This afternoon, I met up with Kai Larson who lives just a few minutes from me, and we walked around the 16e a bit, and then across the Seine to the Eiffel Tower. Then we Metroed over to Place de La Concorde, where we went to Angelina, a famous café/teahouse. Tammy, Natalia, Aleema, and Kerstin had planned the outing, and we all had incredible pastries--I had a lemon tart--and coffee and tea.

I'm back at the apartment now, reposing a bit before dinner. Classes start Tuesday, but I have yet to finalize my schedule. Ok, c'est tout (that's all)! A bientôt.