The last month has flown by in a flash – which is to say, even faster than the otherwise speedily-whizzing months before it. After our fun and eventful trip to Spain Emily and Greeley stayed here in Paris through New Years, when we learned that there are no city-sponsored fireworks in Paris for La Nouvelle Annee, but lots of people drive in circles around Place de la Concorde until the sparkling Eifffel Tower signals the arrival of midnight, when everyone starts shouting out their windows and honking their horns. Festive! Also, there are no laws about alcohol in public spaces (just lots of ignored signs about not bringing glass bottles outside), so we saw countless groups and couples, many middle-aged or older, toting around their bottle of champagne in preparation for the big moment. It was pretty adorably French.
My parents arrived the week after my friends left, and the three of us spent a great week exploring Paris, and took two day trips out of the city. The first was to Chartres, which I had been to before but was eager to see again. It was a cold, grey day after a snow storm, so the town was quiet but lovely. We spent a long time wandering around the almost-deserted cathedral, had a nice lunch to warm up, and then were serenaded by two teenaged boys playing cell phone ringtones the whole way back to Paris. But, really, it was a great day.
Our second trip was to the town of Poissy, which is on the northwest edge of the Parisian suburbs, and which is home, most notably, to a huge Citroen factory, and Le Corbousier’s Villa Savoye. The latter was far more aesthetically pleasing.
Also in Poissy was this, perhaps the most awesomely named feminist-historian geek-tastic intersection in the world –
Yes, that’s Avenue Christine de Pisan intersecting with Avenue Blanche de Castille. I know, right?
Once my parents had sadly headed back home, to their regular life lacking in daily croissants and café crème, I only had two weeks left of class. These mostly involved a very French series of practice tests for our final exam. We practiced on old copies of the final exam, and as we moved through them chronologically we realized that there was an underground narrative unfolding through the passages of text in the conjugation section. For several years there was a passage, given in the present tense, which students had to transpose into the past and/or future tense. But, no generic, unconnected passages for these folks, oh no. Angela and François had a history. First they are planning an outing. Then, the next semester, they’re going to dinner with some Swedish friends. Walks in the Luxembourg Gardens and dinners alone follow. Then, c’est très triste, François calls his friend in a panic. Angela has refused to move in with him – because she has too much stuff and she says his apartment is too small for her! – and not only that, but she’s decided to leave town. For the Antilles! Honestly, he’s better off without her though. And don’t worry, his friend Juan has been keeping him busy, going to the theater and such. He’ll be fine.
Sadly, Angela and Francois did not appear on our final exam, when we finally sat down for it in the truly bizarre Maison des Examens. This building, in the banlieu just south of Paris, is a monstrous, hideous, would-be-terrifying-if-you-had-test-phobia tower who’s sole purpose is to host the major standardized tests that are the backbone of the French education system. It is not a happy place.
But, exams are now finished, and I leave Paris in less than two weeks. I’m sad to be leaving, but also excited to be going on to my next French adventure. Next Saturday I’ll be taking the train to Gascony, where for the next 10 weeks I’ll be a working student at a dressage barn near the town of Auch. (Which, I’m told, is pronounced “oh-sh.” I know, unfortunate.) I can’t wait for fresh air, beautiful countryside, and a major fix for my horse deprivation. But, Paris is one of those places that’s hard to leave, and I’ve been so happy and comfortable here that it’s especially bittersweet. But, I have ten more days to cram myself with as many experiences of it as I can, and that’s what I intend to do.
Peripatetic Paraphernalia 