Loving Life

Nuit Blanche was fantastic! Hotel de Ville and Notre Dame and all the exhibits nearby were really cool. Nuit Blanche is the one night of the year in Paris when the metros stay open extra late (this is NOT New York) and various modern artists create exhibitions on buildings throughout the city. All of Paris stays out, its like Times Square after a show at night! Nuit Blanche literally translates to "white night," as in an "all-nighter," or literally, white night. All the exhibits have to do with light and manipulting stark white light in the pitch black night. We heading back around 3:00am and ran to the nearest metro, which was completely mobbed because it was the last one on the line for the night. Never, even New York, have I been trapped in such a crowd. When a riot broke out on the metro it was all I could do not to yell! Two of my friends got stuck in the crowds and I was actually nervous for getting out of there alive! We did, though, but when we ran for the subway transfer, the second line we needed was closed. Let me tell you. It was a long walk home. I passed out around 6am. A true Nuit Blanche!

Inside Notre Dame - light and mirror exhibit

Hotel de Ville - "Love Differences" in several languages

Sunday we all slept very late, after our long night, and spent the day working in Champs du Mars, the park under the Eiffel Tower. I fell asleep so I wasn't as productive as I should have been, but I enjoyed myself nonetheless! Sunday night I went out. Perhaps more on that later, if necessary.


I had my first class at the Sorbonne yesterday! It was quite intimidating, and it seems I'm going to have to give a big presentation in from of all the French students at some point, but I'm trying not to think too hard about that right now. It's hard enough learning all the vocabulary in an art class in English, learning the vocab for Byzantine Art in French is a whole other game! Having said that, I did make a new French friend :) (I am up to about a dozen French friends!)


This morning, when I woke up, it was still dark out. Not fair. I had a United Way meeting early before class, for the fellowship program of which I am a part. Though bitter at first, we all know how much I love doing team-building activities and brainstorming project ideas for community service and social action. Plus, they gave us orange juice and the Nestle After Eight mint chocolates that I love so much. I had to run from that meeting (which is held in a fancy old estate home) to my European Painter's class. I found out that the professor this class, that one that I love SO much, is also going to be my extra support for my Sorbonne Byzantine Art class! Definitely a good person to start running Senior Honors Thesis proposals by...


Tomorrow, I must tell you all about La Pâtisserie des Rêves - truly a patisserie of dreams. Also, I'll fill you in on my bilingual advanced conversation exchange class, leading me to fluency! C'est fantastique! I am waking up early again to run to the Musée D'Orsay for a project. I have also discovered that this museum has 6 puzzles of FRENCH artists; works I have not yet done. I've done all the ones in the Louvre (except for one work by Veronese, an Italian artist, a puzzle I will not buy while in France) and I was getting discouraged! Perhaps tomorrow, I'll pick up the Renoir. 

My work load has piled to tremendous amounts the past few days, so I apologize if this entry is a little incoherent - today was spent reading for hours and hours, and I am un peu fatigué tonight. I will reread it tomorrow, so if this doesn't make sense please don't judge!
At long last, time for bed. It's exhausting having so much fun!!!