Joyeux Noël!

I'll post about the trip soon. I promise.

Until then, enjoy this extremely serious little ditty.

Merry Christmas!!

free at last

I'm sitting in Dublin Airport at the internet kiosk between O'Brien's Gourmet Coffee and Handcut Sandwiches and McDonald's. To my left, I can see a bay of check-in desks, ticket counters and giant paper snowflakes through a huge window. In the bottom corner of this browser window there is a little timer telling me exactly how long I can stay online before I will be asked to put in some more change. As I'm cheap, there isn't much time left. So this won't be a huge post.

If you've been checking here recently, you've no doubt noticed how the ol' blog has been frustratingly barren the past fewweeks. That doesn't necessarily indicate that my life has been the same. Noooo. In fact, it's been quite the contrary. You see, I've just finally finished fall semester. I didn't write on here for a couple weeks because of several papers that were due and a final exam that I needed to study for. The end of the semester was basically hell. But it's all over now, and I'm free free free at last. That translates into two things: one bad & one good.

First, the bad: Because the vast majority of my friends were only enrolled at IES for fall semester, I had to say lots of goodbyes. That's always sad. I took part in some final weekend festivities, but when it came time to say aurevoir to some of my favorite people, I had a hard time. They know who they are. For a few of my really good friends, I just didn't want a definitive goodbye, so I opted to stay in with my host family wednesday night, the final night. I feel kind of bad that I didn't spend the evening with the friends, but I know I'll see them again.

Second, the good: As you may have guessed from the first line of this post, I've been doing some traveling. I flew out of Paris early thursday morning, heading to Rome to meet Will. His semester in Dublin had already finished, so he had already spent a couple days in Barcelona. I decided to join him for the final leg of his journey. We had a couple awesome days in the eternal city, then we flew up to Ireland. We took a bus from the Dublin airport straight to Galway, a big little city on the west coast of the island. We took the bus back to Dublin sunday afternoon. I've had a really great time with him.

But now I'm here, sitting in the airport with several hours to kill before my flight back to Paris. Will has already left for his return to the states. Like I mentioned before, I'm cheap so I don't want to spend too much on this internet. So I'll give you a little bit more detail on the trip to Italy and Ireland when I get back to the apartment.

Happy Travels
-- Cody

culture

WELL: I finished my Kerouac novel last night. I really enjoyed it in that kind of "whoa this crazy beat novel makes me want to go hitchhike somewhere imaginary and try hallucinatory drugs and be misogynistic" way. Yeah, it was a fun ride.

THE ONLY THING IS: I quit reading the only real "classic" French novel I've ever attempted (Le Capitaine Fracasse) to start on my Kerouac journey. So I guess that's not too good. I should probably be reading in French to keep my immersion level to a maximum, you know?

THUS: I started my decent into 17th century French comedy today. I grabbed an anthology of plays by Molière from the family bookshelf this morning. I decided to begin with L'École des Femmes, as I briefly studied it in my aesthetics class earlier in the semester, so I have a vague understanding of the plot. I like it so far.

MAN, AM I CULTURED OR WHAT?

hello winter

Well winter's here, and it doesn't matter if I like it or not -- it's made up its mind and is planning on staying a while. It's been pretty cold recently (So cold, in fact, that I've even started wearing my scarf. Now I'm not usually one for scarf-wearing, but it keeps me warm, and people tell me it makes me look infinitely more French. So I don't mind much). I have to be honest, though: French winter is not too terrible compared to the arctic months I've endured in Chicago. Here, it hardly ever snows. The clouds are content just spitting out half-frozen rain drops onto the Parisian rooftops. So until the spring awakening comes, I'll just have to tighten my coat, slip on my gloves, and brave the frigid spit spat drizzle.

While I was in Brussels last weekend, I had a bit of an epiphany. Well, I can't really say that it was my doing at all. It came in the form of an email from a dear friend of mine, Mark Tumbleweed Pedri. You see, I've been feeling kind of like I'm not making the most of my time here in Paris. The end of the semester looms on the horizon, so I'm starting to see how quickly the time passes. So I wrote to Mark, confident that he could show me the light. He wrote me a simple little morsel of advice he learned down under this semester:

"Write in a journal every night and do something everyday worth writing about that night. That's what I did and I don't have a single regret about anything."

Pretty simple, huh? And yet I couldn't seem to figure it out on my own. Well, I value the Tumbleweed's input, so I took the advice to heart. Over dinner with Caroline last week, we discussed this whole issue and decided that we'd better do something about it. So we wrote a list of things we still haven't done (or that we want to do again) in Paris, intending to cross every item off the list before the end of the semester comes and steals Caroline away back to the land of the free and the home of the brave. Since then, I've been trying to do something every day that is worth writing about. It doesn't have to be anything earth-shattering -- just something that I might want to remember ten years down the road. I'm feeling pretty good.

Here's an abridged list of some of the highlights from the week:

-- Pondering the hidden meanings behind the Galleries Lafayette Christmas windows

-- Amassing a large collection of French hip-hop and spoken-word/slam poetry albums, borrowed from the IES library

-- Heading off to explore the Cimitière du Montparnasse (Montparnasse Cemetery) only to spend the afternoon chatting with a completely random frenchman who claims to be a famous singer/actor/brother of Jacques Villeret

-- Exploring the Mantegna exhibit during yet another visit to the Louvre -- you can't see it all in one semester, I swear

-- French "Thanksgiving dinner" with all the other IES students. It wasn't terrible... I'll just leave it at that

-- Bad ass ukulele & banjo jam session along the banks of the Canal St. Michel with Joel after said Thanksgiving dinner

-- Getting to keep my sweet chest x-ray from the medical visit required for my residence permit (Let me know if you want to see what I'd look like with no skin on)

-- Bar hopping in the ever so softly falling snow

-- Sitting in on a random Chopin concert at the Eglise Ste. Merry

So there you have it. As the sky becomes a wintery shade of gray and the temperature outside starts to drop, I'm feverishly stoking the fire in my life. Just like the notes flying from a piano or the words escaping out of your mouth, I know time is fleeting. It's already the last day of November. With finals, winter break, and lots of traveling coming up, I know it will be spring semester before I know it. Let's just hope I can live it up while it lasts.

Happy Travels

-- Cody

Hustle & Bustle in Brussels

So, look at me: I've only been back in Paris for a little over an hour and I'm already updating the ole blog. How daring!

Well, Brussels was pretty darn sweet. Like most people will tell you, it's not quite as beautiful as a lot of other cities throughout Europe -- like Paris or Vienna, from my experience -- on account of its strange mix of architectural styles, but it is still a nice place. There are lots of old old buildings downtown, but then there is a decent amount of modern, industrial almost-skyscrapers. Honestly, there were times when I really felt like I was back in Chicago. The city had a very similar feel to it. The general feeling was not quite as "European" as I was expecting. but Brussels still has its charm. I definitely enjoyed my time there. Despite the crappy weather (snow!).

I got into Bruxelles (as the French call it) around 10 friday morning, found my way to my hostel, checked in, and then headed out for sightseeing. Of course I went straight for the Grand Place, Brussels' historic district. Descending ever so slowly into the tail end of November, workers were already out preparing the Place for the upcoming Christmas Market -- a European specialty. People were working feverishly among the old-as-centuries buildings, some attaching straw to the roof of a manger soon to hold the holy family, and some stabilizing the huge evergreen tree standing in the middle of it all. The Grand Place is always full of tourist, and rightly so. The buildings are incredibly detailed, covered in gold leaf and statues. Restaurants can be found just around just about every corner, but they all seem to cater to the tourist crowd -- tourists with wads of cash in their pockets, that is. I was not to be tempted. I found lunch in an out-of-the-way restaurant: salad, meatballs, and fries. Delicious.

For most of the afternoon, I simply meandered from historic sight to historic sight, keeping an eye on my whereabouts with a map I picked up from the hostel. I saw Manneken Pis, la Bourse (stock exchange), St. Michael's Cathedral, St. Catherine's, the touristy restaurants lining Rue des Bouchers, and the Galleries of the King and Queen, among many others. The whole time was filled with side wonders and lots and lots of chocolate shops. There's quite a bit to see and do in Brussels, and it's all very pedestrian-friendly. After dining at a pizzeria and exploring some more, I decided to call it a night. The weather was just not friendly at all. Rain rain rain. It was a good night to slip into bed a little early. Before sleep, though, I took the time to send off some postcards and a letter or two.

I woke up nice and early saturday morning, and made a game-plan for the day. I decided to follow a walking tour outlined in little crow's feet on my map. It started at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Congress Column just a couple blocks away from the hostel, so that's where I headed. When I got there, I saw lots of people milling about in military uniforms. Deciding to stay and see what was up, I soon heard what sounded like a marching music. Then, around the corner came a band, followed by four regiments of young men and women decked out in fatigues and rifles. I asked someone standing by me in the gathering crowd what was going on. It was apparently a celebration of the anniversary of the founding of the Military Academy in Brussels. Just before the ceremony started, and as snow began falling, a very important man (general of the army? maybe?) stepped out of a discreet black car, wearing a long trench coat and blue military beret. He presided over the events.

After the ceremony, I started off on my walking tour. I didn't finish, though, as the half-way point was my real item of interest: the Parc du Cinquantenaire. I wandered around the park and headed towards the Royal Army Museum, from where I could (supposedly) climb to the top of their Arc de Triomphe. Along the way, I saw a large makeshift building advertising a special exhibit. I went inside to find a collection of beautiful photos and information about Michelangelo's Pieta. It was very interesting to hear about just how perfect the work is -- he apparently made vast use of the Golden Ratio while carving the work. It really is fascinating. Next, I made it to the Army Museum, where I unfortunately could not climb the Arc. I did, however, find a very cool Aviation exhibit -- lots of airplanes, helicopters, and hot air balloons.

After a quick lunch at a nice little restaurant (the waitress was totally flirting with me, by the way), I went to meet up with Brianna and her friend at the National Basilica of the Sacred Heart. We toured the inside of the HUGE church, and then rode the elevator to the top, where we climbed outside to admire the view from around the enormous dome. While we snapped photos and caught up with each other's lives, the snow began to fall again. It was a very picturesque moment. Next, I headed out to see the Atomium, a 100-or-so meter high steel replica of an iron crystal made for the 1958 World's Fair. I had read that it's not quite as cool as it may seem, so I wasn't too disappointed when I arrived 15 minutes after closing time. I took a few quick pictures and headed back downtown for dinner. I did some last major sightseeing in the historic district, including the famous Delirium Tremens bar, and made my way back to the hostel. I sat in the hostel's Babel Bar for a while, sampling some more Belgian beer (so good), before hitting the hay.

This morning I woke up around 7:30, grabbed breakfast, and checked out. I made the rounds of the city one last time, then headed for the only site that was open and standing between me and the Brussels Midi train station: the Porte de Halle. It's an awesome tower that was formerly one of the only entrances penetrating the stone walls around the city. I toured the museum, climbed the huge, spiraling, stone staircase, and took one last view of the city from up high. Beautiful. I ended my time in Brussels trying to find the entrance to the train station among the HUGE flea market that apparently springs up on sunday mornings. That was a cultural experience in itself. I caught the train, and the rest is history.

So there you have it. I'm off now to do some homework before grabbing dinner with Caroline later. Oh, and I had some serious reading time on the train, so I'm getting deeper and deeper into my latest Kerouac novel. It really is incredible. Life-changing, really. Let me know if you want details. Until next time.

Happy Travels

-- Cody

bruxelles! bruxelles!

hey y'all --

just a quick post to let you know i made it to brussels just fine. oh, wait a minute... did i tell you i'm going to brussels this weekend? don't remember. either way, i'm here safe & sound.

i've been sightseeing all day, and i'm about to wander around some more before dinner. perhaps i'll check out the belgian nightlife. who knows? and fyi, according to the woman working in the tourist info center where i'm currently typing this: "asking where to get the best waffles in brussels is like asking someone in the states which mcdonalds is the best. they're all the same. and they're all just tourist food." so watch out.

anyway, i'm hanging out with brianna tomorrow. can't wait. i'll try to give you another update about what i've been doing here before i go back to paris. but if not, stay tuned for the more inclusive post-trip entry. a bientot.

happy travels

-- cody

Breaking Fall, Part 2 : Seducing Slovakia

And now, we join our hero as he prepares for his journey to Bratislava in

Part 2 : Seducing Slovakia (what does that even mean?)

Sunday morning, I got breakfast with another (newly-acquired) friend, Keith, from Dublin. Amidst discussions about the US, Ireland, traveling, etc., Keith mentioned he was heading to the Hofburg Palace. I decided to accompany him, as I was planning on going to the Hofburgkapelle (Hofburg Chapel) for mass before I left for Slovakia. Now, I normally wouldn't go to mass twice in one weekend, but this was a special case. The Hofburgkapelle just happens to be the home of the Vienna Boys Choir, who sing every sunday morning at the 9:15 mass. In the chapel, I attended mass in the tourist-full standing-room section. An actual seat costs upwards of 20€ and must be booked months in advance. Clearly, the choir is doing something right. They really were great. And they were accompanied by a small orchestra, so the music was just beautiful. It made me miss singing in a choir... man. During the mass, though, I got the feeling that a lot of people thought it was just a concert. Lots of camera-flashing, moving around, talking in hushed voices, and even a few confused faces when the priest offered communion.

After mass, I found my way to the Sudbahnhoff train station, bought a round trip ticket to Bratislava, and boarded the train. The ride was short and sweet through the Austrian countryside. I ended up talking to the girl sitting across from me in my bank of seats, but only after she made fun of me for falling asleep while the conductor was coming by to check tickets. He had to hit me on the shoulder to wake me up. The girl, Jasmina, found that pretty amusing. At the station, she offered to show me how to get to the Old Town area, where (I thought) my hostel was. Along the way, she pointed out a few important monuments, like the Presidential Palace, and the Slavin Memorial statue. She dropped me off and went on her way, and I started looking for the hostel. It took me forever to find it, as I really had no clue where to look. That was alright, though, because I got to explore Old Town. Finally, after 3 stops to ask people for directions, I found the hostel.

After checking in, I went back to exploring the city. The Old Town district is pretty awesome. It's full of little cobblestone alleys, random statues, fountains, and more tourists than I expected to find in Slovakia. Before sunset, I made the hike up to the top of the hill overlooking the city. At the top, I payed a visit to Bratislava Castle. It's pretty cool, though the people of the city apparently refer to it as the "upside-down table". I can see where they might get that idea. Unfortunately, I couldn't enter the castle, as the whole thing is undergoing a major reconstruction and renovation project. They are trying to restore the castle to the beauty it once had centuries ago, before wars and fires nearly destroyed it. They're doing a great job. Next, I tried continuing up the hill next door to find the tower holding the Slavin statue. Yeah, I didn't find it. But I did find a nice, big, residential neighborhood. I only came across a couple sketchy areas, so it was a pleasant (read: tiring) trek up the hill. Back in Old Town, I decided I'd better buy some kind of tourist guide to the city, so I stopped into a gift shop. That was a great purchase. I'll tell you now: I didn't get lost a single time after that.

After dinner, I went to a random free concert in a nice church. I felt somewhat underdressed, but I had a good time. Then I went back to the hostel, spent a little time at the piano in the lounge, wrote a couple letters, and slipped into bed. I felt like I should have done something a little cooler with my night in Bratislava, but honestly my feet needed the rest. I was exhausted. Needless to say, I slept very well.

I woke up monday morning a little after 8, showered, and went in search of breakfast. I found cheap eats (a ham and cheese croissant, a glass of o.j., and some coffee -- all for only 79 sk, less than 3€) then got on with some final sightseeing. I first headed to the House of the Good Shepherd to see the Museum of Clocks, but that was closed. I was really disappointed, as it sounded really interesting. Instead, I went to St. Martin's cathedral -- a centuries-old church in Old Town, which was the site of the coronations of countless rulers of the Austrian Empire. This place was beautiful, but it was kind of morbid. I went down a staircase in a side chapel to the crypt, where they have the coffins of several archbishops and members of an important family. The rooms smelled like cold stone and cut flowers. I resurfaced, going to another side chapel -- this one dedicated to St. John the Merciful. His remains (meaning his decomposing skeleton dressed up in saint clothing) are encased in a silver and glass coffin high above the altar. Creepy. But, even creepier: in front of a statue of St. Martin and a beggar, there is a large pane of bubbly glass on the floor. If you look just right through the glass, you can see down into a 13th- or 14th-century cemetery. You can actually see real skeletons, only partially buried in the dirt. We're talking skulls and rib cages. Not quite as artistically presented as the bones in Paris' catacombs....

Anyway, after some more sightseeing and lunch, I stopped back by the hostel to pick up my bags, then headed to the train station. Along the way, I stopped in the gardens behind the Presidential Palace. I caught my train (with perfect timing), and chug-chugged my way back to Vienna.

Back in Austria, I grabbed dinner. Then I met up with Keith again at the hostel. After chatting a while, we decided to make the most out of my last night in Vienna. We found a nice bar (the Bermuda Bräu) and sampled the local beer, discussing politics, Barack Obama(!), Scientology, and Paris. We didn't stay out too late, as I had to catch my return flight very early in the morning. In fact, I only slept about 2 or 3 hours before I had to get up again. I checked out, called a cab, and stepped onto the plane. And now I'm back in Paris. Back to the grind. Back to schoolwork and my internship. It was really nice spending some time away from it all, but I have to admit: I was relieved to be back in Paris. It's comfortable.

Happy Travels

-- Cody

Breaking Fall, Part 1 : Waltzing in Wien

Well, I'm back in Paris, and I made it all in one piece. Fall break was fantastic. I got the chance to see two great cities, and I met some pretty cool people at the hostels. I definitely took lots of pictures, which I will post sometime in the near future (speaking of: I added a link to the long over-due Normandy photo album. Click and enjoy a trip to my favorite part of France thus far). There's a lot to write about for this trip, so I'll treat it to 2 (two!) entries. Hold on to your hats, folks.

Before I start, though -- Love It or Leave It.

Reason to Love It : Feeling "at home" in Paris -- I'm comfortable enough here that it was a big relief to be back in the city after fall break.

Reason to Leave It : Knowing that most of my IES friends are leaving in about a month... and I'll be here without them.

And now, Part 1 : Waltzing in Wien

I arrived in Vienna late late thursday night and rode the City Airport Train (CAT) into the heart of Vienna, where I transferred to the U4 subway line to get to my hostel. By the time I checked into Hostel Hütteldorf, it was well past midnight. I got into bed and quickly fell asleep. Travel is tiring, you know.

I woke up friday morning just after 7, took a shower, and headed downstairs to eat breakfast with a (newly acquired) friend from South Korea -- Kim. After breakfast, I took the U4 back into the city for some exploration. My plans for the day were simply to hit up the 3 big sights from my wish list, and fill in with other random visits in between. The big 3: the Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna National Opera), Stephansdom (St. Stephen's Cathedral), and Hofburg Palace. I made it to all 3 just fine -- although the Hofburg was a bit out of my "budget", so I mainly just saw the outside. But it was beautiful. In between, I saw some pretty cool stuff. Like the Kaisergruft -- the crypt where they keep old, creepy tombs holding the remains of countless Austrian Emperors & Empresses. Then there's the pedestrian avenue Kärtner Strasse, a kind of car-less version of the Champs-Elysées. As I quickly found out, old downtown Vienna is an awesome district. The baroque buildings are beautiful. The traffic isn't too ridiculous. And everything is close together, so you can easily walk everywhere, as I did all weekend.

The highlight from friday has to be Stephansdom. After walking around the expansive interior of the church, I pulled a little trick I read about in my guide book. Rather than waiting in a long line to ride up a crowded elevator to the bell tower, I snuck outside and around to a side entrance. There I found a second ticket window, this one for the church's south tower. The south tower is taller, has a better view, and is less crowded. BUT there's no elevator to the top. So I readied myself, did some stretches, and pulled out my oxygen tank for the climb. After the 300-some meter trek up the spiral staircase, I made it to the top. The view of the city was incredible. It was a bit overcast, but I could still make out most of Vienna. The room at the top of the tower held a small gift shop, so I made like a tourist and bought a stack of postcards. I descended the tower just before noon -- right on time for mass. What a weird experience. Mass in German. Clearly, I had no clue what the priest was saying, but I was still able to follow along. It was a nice break from all the walking I'd been doing all day.

Friday night, I went to an a cappella pop concert at the Haus der Musik. I wasn't planning on attending, but I was drawn in off the sidewalk by the sweet sounds of "Easy Like Sunday Morning." How could I resist? The a cappella group was great. For their finale, though, they did a pretty crappy version of California Dreamin. I was disappointed, but I didn't pay for the concert, so I couldn't complain.

Saturday was another leg-ache-inducing day -- I'm logging some serious kilometers in my walking-shoes. I had breakfast around 8am with a couple from Cornwall, England. I was drawn to them because the guy had a sweet beard -- trust, it was mythical -- and his girlfriend looked like the young girl in love with Alexander Supertramp from the film version of Into the Wild. How could I pass up a couple like that? After breakfast, I was going to exchange some Euros for their leftover Slovakian Koruna, but the only ATM in the area was out of order. Rats. Anyway, I soon headed out the door on my way to my first stop of the day: Schönbrunn Palace. It was like a not-quite-as-ridiculously-opulent Versailles, only in Austria instead of France. Still, it was very impressive. And using the free audioguide headset thingy (which I normally find extremely annoying), I learned a lot about Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife, Empress Elizabeth, AKA the legendary "Sisi". Apparently, he was madly in love with her, but she could've cared less. So I guess it serves her right that she was eventually stabbed to death by an Italian anarchist... I kid, I kid. But yes, the palace was great, and the gardens were greater. Just like at Versailles.

Afterwards, I headed to Naschmarkt -- a huge outdoor market. It usually only sells food stuffs, but on Saturdays it also includes a flea market. Just my luck. I didn't buy any rugs or figurines or old Austrian records or anything like that, but I did find a delicious falafel sandwich for only 3€. Yumm. Who could ask for more?

Next, I went back to old Vienna for a return trip to the Haus der Musik, and a visit to Karlskirche. At Haus der Musik, I went through their very high-tech, interactive exhibit all about sound. The "Sonosphere" explores the physics of sound, how humans process sound in our ears, how instruments work, and so on. Honestly, I thought it was going to be a little boring, but I was blown away. Very nice. After, I hopped over to Karlskirche, the church named for St. Charles Borromeo. It was beautiful. I was pretty lucky, too: There was a concert going on inside by the Tokyo Municipal High School for Music. These kids were damn talented -- the perfect backdrop to my visit. The big draw to Karlskirche is the lift and scaffolding leading visitors up to the dome sitting atop the church. The dome and it's frescoes recently underwent a massive restoration project. They decided to leave the scaffolding in place for visitors' use. How nice of them, right? I rode the elevator up -- way up -- to the level of the dome. From the platform, you can see all the artwork on the ceiling. You don't get a chance to see that kind of work up close very often. Then (and this was the kind of scary part) there's another staircase leading up to the smaller dome at the very top of the church. I made close friends with the rail, and climbed up to the high platform. From there, you can look out the windows for a 360º view of Vienna. It was beautiful.

After dinner that evening, I went to buy a standing-room ticket at the Wiener (haha... sorry) Staatsoper. I got a ticket, but it didn't work out too well. First of all, I was hoping to see an opera -- I mean, it's an opera house -- but it turned out (yet again) to be a freaking ballet. Now, I don't have anything against ballets, but they need to quit tricking me into seeing them. Second, I got to the ticket window after the show had already started, so I had to miss the entire first act. Being very tired, bored of ballet, and having no clue what the show was even about, I only stayed for the 2nd act. I didn't feel like standing through a finale I wouldn't understand. It was okay, though. I only really went so I could see the building itself, and to hear the orchestra play some Tchaikowsky. So I guess it was a success in that light.

Finally, I went back to sleep at the hostel. Well, I tried to sleep. The nice British man I had met earlier that afternoon was already in bed. And my God, he sounded like he was dying. Honestly, I've never heard snoring like that before... Anyway, I finally got some shut-eye, and good thing, too. I had a big day ahead of me.

[To be continued...]

bratis-lover

howdy.

can't stay on too long, as there are people waiting for this computer. but i thought i'd let you know that my days in vienna have been terrific thus far. lots of walking, so i've seen a lot of really cool stuff. i'll fill you in on the details / pictures when i get back to paris tuesday morning. for now, i'll just tell you that i've seen 2 palaces, a famous boys choir, and a crazy flea market, among other things.

right now, i'm in bratislava. i just finished lunch and checked into the hostel. this place is coooool. nice atmosphere. i was lost for a while when i first got into town, so i got to see quite a bit of the old town center. awesome old eastern european buildings. and a lot more tourists than i expected. cameras everywhere.

oh, and someone told me the other day that the movie "hostel" is set in slovakia. if you've seen it, don't worry. i don't think anyone in this hostel wants to pay to have me tortured to death.

i hope.

ok, got to go. have fun doing whatever it is you're doing!

happy travels
-- cody

gut morgen!

hello from vienna!

just arrived last night. the flight here was fine. they served tastey sandwiches and two (2!) drinks. the flight attendants tried to speak to me in german just about every time they came by, but they soon learned i'm an english speaker.

by the time i rode into central vienna from the airport, then out on the U-bahn (subway) to the hostel, i didn't check in until after midnight. the guy at the front desk was relatively friendly, though, so all was well. i got to my 6-person dorm to find it almost-full with 5 other men, all sound asleep. so i had to tiptoe around to store my things and make my bed in the dark. i grabbed my toiletries bag, and headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth, and all those other bed-time rituals. alas, when i opened the bag, i discovered that possibly due to the pressure of being on an international flight, the bottle containing my shower gel committed container suicide. and the guts got all over everything else in the bag... so i gave up and went to bed with dirty teeth.

but i cleaned everything up this morning after my shower, so all is right in the world. and my teeth are sparkling.

ok. i'm off to breakfast, then to figure out what the hell i'm going to do in vienna. wish me luck!

happy travels
-- cody

bon voyage

hey all. just a quick note.

after my class this afternoon, i'm heading to charles de gaulle airport for my flight to vienna. woot! sunday morning, i'm heading to bratislava. then it's back to vienna on monday before my flight back to paris tuesday morning. exciting times, non?

ok. if i have internet access in austria, i'll try to update you on how the trip is going. if not, you'll hear from me (hopefully) on tuesday. peace!

happy travels
-- cody

o. ba. ma.

Last night was epic.

It was just one of those nights that you don't ever want to end. And, technically, it really didn't. I didn't slip into my bed until well past 8h30, the sun already having risen and morning commuters already having taken to the streets. The occasion for this all-night affair was the election of Barack Obama as our next president.

I stepped out the door a little after midnight to go meet my friends for an election watch party in an American bar, the "Frog and Princess". When we got to the bar, we were greeted by a formidable crowd, loud music, and at least 5 or 6 flat-screen TVs mounted to the walls -- all broadcasting CNN. We ordered a couple pitchers of locally-brewed beer, found an open booth, and settled into the election coverage. I was reminded how ridiculous CNN can be at times. Let's just say we all got a kick out of the special reporter appearing "live via hologram." Seriously? We need holograms now?

Anyway, having made the choice to stay out until we knew the name of the next president, we got comfortable in the Frog and Princess. It was quite amusing to watch all the Americans and politically-minded Europeans throughout the night. Any time Obama was declared the winner of a state's electoral votes, the bar erupted into a frenzy of cheers, applause, and O-Ba-Ma! chants. Whenever McCain took a state, though, it was more like a collective groan of disapproval mixed with the occasional Merde!

The night slipped by quickly, and before we knew it the clock struck 4 and the bar sent us packing. The big question was still left unanswered, so we knew we had to find another bar where we could watch the conclusion of the historic event. After much debating, direction-seeking, and walking in the drizzling rain, we found our way to "Breakfast in America", a diner near the Sorbonne. It had taken quite a while to find the place, so we had missed quite a bit of the election coverage.

As we approached the diner, we saw a fairly large group of people huddled on the sidewalk against the building's main windows and front door, all peering inside the packed restaurant. When we joined them, everyone started leaning in closer to the diner's windows for some unknown reason. The crowd began letting out shhh's, and one girl uttered, "He's about to give his speech!" Since we had been gone for so long, we didn't know what she was talking about. Had a winner been declared already?

We pushed in closer so we could hear the TV hanging by the open window -- the reason for the crowd on the sidewalk. We then heard what we had been waiting for: the beginning of John McCain's gracefully-delivered concession speech. As soon as he admitted defeat to Obama, the crowd went wild. It was electrifying. Eventually everyone calmed down, and we listened to the rest of the Arizona senator's speech in attentive silence. Standing on the parisian sidewalk, feeling the rain softly falling on my face, and knowing that history was being made -- it felt like a scene from a movie.

After McCain's speech, the diner's owner made room inside so as many of us as possible could come in from the rain to watch Obama's victory speech. We packed our way in sardine-style, jockeying for the best positions for viewing the TV screen. Then the speech began. It's kind of hard to describe exactly what it was like. I mean, the speech was incredible -- definitely inspirational. The general feeling in the diner was a mix of relief and excitement. Everyone in the room was united in a kind of international hope  -- for the 15 or so minutes Obama spoke, we all breathed together, cheered together, and some even shed tears together. For once, I felt totally comfortable as an American in Paris.

You know, there's something really nice about knowing that your president is a good man -- an honest man -- someone you can trust and actually feel hopeful about. And there's something really nice about knowing that the world is looking at us in admiration. It's been a while since America has felt like this.

After Obama's speech, we wound our way to another small restaurant for a well-deserved 7 in the morning breakfast. Fighting the urge to pass out into my plate of Francfort frites, I thought back on our epic election evening. And while I sorely wished I could have been in Chicago to witness Barack in person that night, I realized that my evening was simply perfect. I got to experience history in the making -- a history that I touched with my own two hands when I signed my ballot weeks ago -- and I experienced it in the context of an international unity that served only to amplify the fact that our decision affects not only us, but the entire world. It was a night I'll never forget.

Happy Travels

-- Cody

edit: I think I'm famous. Not really, but there was apparently a journalist at Breakfast in America. Click here to see the pictures. Hint: I'm in the last one.

lost in translation

i'm drinking authentic nestlé hot chocolate right now, straight from the states. delicious... thanks, mom.

also: happy election day! go vote, damn it!

anyway, the ni putes ni soumises conference: it was pretty good. i don't really have too much to say about it, but i lived through a couple harrowing experiences. overall, the conference was decent, if not thoroughly disorganized. for most of the weekend, i just hung out with a very nice, young, british woman named olivia. she's another volunteer for npns, who started just a week or so ago. neither of us really had any clue as to what we were supposed to be doing at the conference. and we both speak english, so we immediately took to each other.

what were the so-called 'harrowing experiences', you ask? well, the first has to do with a small algerian man in his 60s named bébel. after picking me up from the dourdan train station on friday to take me to the hotel where the conference was to be held, bébel told me that i would be spending quite a bit of time with him that day. i was to accompany him later that night to charles de gaulle airport to pick up two important pakistani women. within moments of starting to converse with bébel, i made two observations: 1 - this man likes to talk. a lot. and 2 - this man just might be crazy. but a good crazy, so no worries.

later that evening, after taking a short nap in my room (which i luckily didn't have to share with anyone, like i thought i would have to), i went down to the lobby to meet bébel to head to the airport. he was running a little late, as traffic was pretty ugly. we finally took off down the highway in his silver van, listening to a french radio station broadcasting almost exclusively american disco music (i have to admit, i was pretty pumped to hear my favorite song about rasputin). so, remember how i said bébel might be crazy? fittingly, he's a crazy driver. when traffic didn't hold us back, we were definitely going at least 150 km/hr. i thought for sure i was going to die a couple times. despite this fact, it took us about 2 hours to get to the airport. when we finally arrived and found the pakistani women, they were slightly pissed -- and rightly so. they had waited in the terminal for over an hour. so, as i was the official interpreter of this little trip, i had to try to appease the women and explain why we were so late. they said we should have been more organized. i couldn't agree more. 

we took the women to the one of the ministry offices in paris, where they were to have dinner with the other representatives from the conference. i wasn't allowed to enter the building, so i ate dinner with bébel and two of his friends. he continued his possibly-not-right-in-the-head antics. it was nice, though, because i learned a lot about free love in europe during the 60s and 70s. awkward...

after a quick tour of the city (for which i played both interpreter and tour guide), we took the pakistani women, along with 7 other ladies, back to the hotel in dourdan. once there, i went to my room, thinking about reading. alas, i decided to turn on the tv. oh, it was great. you see, my host family doesn't have a television, so up to this point, i had never experienced the french tube. i flipped between an interesting documentary about travel in the middle east, and an interview with some random american guy talking about the election.

the second snafu was less harrowing, but more 'man, i'm way in over my head with this'. let's just say i'm not quite as bilingual as my boss thought. it was during a highly important debate about women's rights and violence against women, both in europe and around the mediterranean. part way through the first discourse, my boss (who was moderating the debate) motioned for me to come up and talk to her at the table. so i did, ducking down and trying to be as discreet as possible so the audience wouldn't get distracted much. she told me that there weren't enough interpreters, so the pakistani women had no way to understand what the french speakers on stage were saying. so she asked me to interpret for them.

now, i pretty much know where i stand on the road to fluency. i know quite a bit of french, and conversation is pretty easy for me now. but i am, by no means, capable of simultaneous interpretation. the real interpreters at the conference must have been both bilingual and highly trained. so i gave my boss an "okay" that really meant "uhh... yeah, i probably can't do that, but i guess i'll try", and headed to the pakistani women. needless to say, it was utterly hopeless. i got way too lost trying to remember what was being said, and the poor pakistanis had no clue what was going on. i mouthed to my boss, "sorry. i can't do it." i felt terrible. i could tell she was exasperated and just wanted the conference to go well. but she shot me some serious daggers from her eyes. she was able to get one of the other interpreters to do the job. so i returned to my seat, slightly angry that she put me in that position to feel so stupid, but mostly just embarrassed. 

there was a silver lining to this slightly-gray cloud of a weekend. it came in the form of a gift. on sunday morning, boss-lady told olivia and i that we could head back to paris whenever we wanted after breakfast. the day was dedicated to debates about the organization itself and the election of a new president, so we weren't exactly needed. before leaving, we were told that anna, one of the pakistanis, wanted us to come to her room. so we went. we knew right where it was, as we had been pretty much acting as servants to the pakistani women all weekend. anna told us how much she appreciated all our help. she gave us her contact information, saying that she wanted us to come visit her some time in islamabad. she said she would house & feed us, so all we would need is a plane ticket. then anna gave us each traditional pakistani shirts -- mine was green, olivia's was pink. it felt really nice to know that we were appreciated. we thanked her, left the room, then left the hotel to walk back to the train station. back in paris, olivia and i grabbed an excellent lunch near the place de la bastille. then i went home to do some studying for class.

and that's about it for the weekend. i've just had classes yesterday and today, including my translation midterm (not too terribly difficult). i decided today that i'm going to drop my arabic course. it's just too tough trying to learn arabic through french, in a totally different classroom setting, while having to balance my other courses and my internship. c'est trop. i feel slightly liberated. anyway, i'm heading out to join my friends for the election coverage tonight. how exciting!

reason to love it : france still has saturday morning kid shows on basically all its main tv channels. i definitely got up early to watch power rangers dubbed into french in my hotel room this weekend.

reason to leave it : feeling less intelligent because of the french language -- i'm forced to use simpler language in conversations, and texts that are too complicated still sometimes float over my head. i've wrapped myself into a kerouac novel recently, in an attempt to reassert my intellectual prowess.

happy travels

-- cody

quick notes

This one's gotta be quick, as the wireless network in the house ("wee-fee" as the family pronounces it) is fleeting, and I've got to pack pack pack before I leave for the weekend. I'm going to a conference with my Ni Putes Ni Soumises internship in Dourdan -- a Parisian suburb about an hour and a half away from here. The point of the conference is to work on NPNS' new regional network in the Euro-Mediterranean area. It should be an interesting weekend. I went in to the office for a bit last night to help stuff guest bags and other final preparations for the weekend. Mar (my boss) finally told me what I'll be doing this weekend. I'm going to welcome and show around one of the (very important) guests of the conference. I didn't quite understand all Mar told me, but the woman has an exotic-sounding name and is the présidente of a women's rights organization -- so she's gotta be important, right? Anyway, she doesn't speak a lick of French, so I get to talk with her in English and maybe do a little translation here and there.

Other quick notes before I leave:

On Wednesday night, Caroline, Monica, Melissa, and I had somewhat of an "American" dinner. I took a special trip to "Thanksgiving", the American grocery in Paris, to pick up essential supplies -- cornbread mix and chocolate chips (and brown sugar & cinnamon poptarts... yum). Along with the cornbread, and before the cookies, we cooked up some chicken, carrots, and "mashed potatoes" (more like potato puree). The dinner was a little bit slow in the making, but it turned out quite nicely. I saved the poptarts for breakfast yesterday. They were awesome.

I've finished all but one of my midterms for the semester. Wednesday was Aesthetics. We had to listen to an explication of one of Gluck's 18th century operas, then write about how it could be considered as pre-romantic. Sound fun? It wasn't. I have no clue if I did well on it. I guess I'll have to wait and see. Yesterday was my European Union exam. It wasn't nearly as difficult as I had imagined it would be, but it wasn't a cake-walk either. My last real midterm is on Tuesday, for Translation. It shouldn't be too bad.

Ok, I've got to get going. I have to leave in about 15 minutes, and I still haven't packed. If you know me, this fact should not surprise you in the least. I'll let you know how the conference went when I get back on Sunday.

Happy Travels

-- Cody

strange is a good word for it

So it's been a while since last we talked. The past week or so has been a strange mix of "not a whole lot going on" and "holy crap this is awesome I'm having a great time".

Yeah, strange is a good word for it. My time here in Paris is getting a little weird.

For starters, on several occasions in the last week I've seen lonely pirates and/or crowds of zombies walking the streets. Are the Parisians gearing up for Halloween? It's hard to say, as they don't really celebrate the dark holiday here, like we do back in the states. I'm beginning to think they're just plain old crazy.

Another strange phenomenon? Time. I find it strange lately because of the way it seems to slip by unnoticed, while at the same time lingering about, not budging in the least. It's already reaching the end of October -- my second month in Paris -- and I have no clue where the month went. The semester is halfway finished, as evidenced by the midterm exams happening this week. And yet, it still feels like I have an incomprehensible amount of time lying ahead of me. I can't see the end. Which is normal, I guess. Try to picture 7 more months in your head...

Strange as well are my recent twinges of homesickness. I'm just simply beginning to miss America (no, not her). It's not anything that makes me want to quit this whole Paris adventure, but it's definitely real. I'm becoming more and more at ease in France, but I miss the familiarity and ease that comes with living in the states. There's just not as much to worry about. I have to admit: I gave in to nostalgia and finally set foot in a McDonald's last night. Oh, the horror, I know. After spending the evening watching a ballet (more on that in a moment), Joanna (from IES) and I decided that we wanted to eat something delicious, non-nutritious, and homey. Hence, our trip to the golden arches. I have to say, despite the awkwardness of French McDo, it was delectable.

Yeah, I went to a ballet. Actually, two ballets in the past couple weeks (so strange...). They were both adaptations from popular films. The first: Edward Scissorhands (or Edward aux mains d'argent for the francophones out there); the second: Les enfants du paradis ("Children of Paradise", a 1940s French film). They were both very well done, and I was highly impressed. But I liked Edward better. Mainly because it didn't feel as much like an actual ballet.

The coolest (but still, somewhat strange) experience I've had recently was the hat party thrown by my family this past saturday night. They called it a Fête à Chapeauter, (chapeauter being a completely made up verb stemming from the French word for "hat"). It was fun actually interacting with real French people in a social setting. My host family made delicious food. The guests brought expensive wine. And damn was it classy. It so happens that most of my host family's friends and acquaintances are musicians, so we were treated to operettas and other classical tunes sung or played on piano and cello. Oh, it was very French...

Apart from all this strangeness, and aside from a brief visit from Mr. William C. Irvin himself, school and my internship have occupied most of my time. Midterms are this week, and although I only have 3 exams, homework is piling up like so many leaves in a forgotten gutter. That's not to say that it's too much for me to handle. Although my Arabic class worries me. I really don't want to have to drop it, but it just might be above my level. We shall see...

This weekend, I'm going to a Ni Putes Ni Soumises conference in Dourdan, a (supposedly nice) suburb of Paris. It will be three days of debates, forums, and general information gathering about women's rights in the Euro-Mediterranean countries. I'm going to be volunteering in some capacity, but I really haven't a clue as to what my role will be. But I'm looking forward to it. Next weekend is my fall break, so I'm heading off to historic Vienna, Austria. While I'm there I think I'm going to hop on a bus to spend a day or two in Bratislava, Slovakia, as it's only about 50 km (I believe?) away. In a couple more weeks, I'm catching a train to Brussels, Belgium, to visit Brianna and the European Union parliament building. This is all very exciting. I feel so lucky to get to do all this traveling while I'm here. I can hardly believe it all.

Reason to Love It: Spending most of dinner tonight teaching my host parents the differences between the words life, live, leave, leaf, and leaves. They all sound so very similar, you know.

Reason to Leave It: The random way autumn asserts itself in Paris. Some days are gorgeous. Some are hideous. Most are a mixture of the two. Today, for example, started off with a chilly morning, peaked with a beautifully sunny afternoon, and ended with a freezing cold, rainy evening. Make up your mind!

Happy Travels

-- Cody

an overdue introduction...

I feel like it's time to introduce you to someone very special in my life here in Paris.

Because I wasn't able to bring my old buddy, Virgil, with me on the plane, I made plans to have him sent solo across the Atlantic. However, I feared for his well-being. He doesn't particularly like dark, enclosed spaces, and in a rare moment of unabashed vulnerability, he once confessed to me his deep-seated fear of flying. So I had to make a heart-wrenching choice. While I live and study in Paris, Virgil is spending the year with my mother in Lawrence, Kansas. As they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder...

This is where the newcomer steps onto the stage. About a month ago, I started missing Virgil with a fiery passion. I had to find a substitute. I needed a new ukulele. So I set out on a quest to find an heir. Following a tip from a cousin of my host siblings, I journeyed to a music shop in the covered market, Galerie Vero-Dodat. Alas, the cheapest uke they had for sale that was still worth its name was upwards of 150 euro. I had to turn away. Luckily, a large Guitar Center-esque music store happens to live just a few blocks away from the gallery. With high hopes of finding the next Virgil, I stepped into the store. Hanging there on the wall was exactly what I was looking for: A quaint, mahogany bodied, black-stringed soprano ukulele, with the word "Aloha" joyfully splashed across the head between the tuning pegs. I tested him out, plucking strings and shaping chords on the neck, but he was hopelessly out of tune. I did my best to revive him, and when I did, was I ever happy. The boy can sing. So I quickly paid and found my way home.

Since then, it's been never-ending joy. I blissfully while away the hours, dreaming up new chord progressions or practicing my favorite tunes. When faced with a pile of homework, I often find myself reaching for my new friend. This uke sure knows how to procrastinate. Needless to say, I love everything about this blessed instrument. In keeping with tradition, I knew I would have to eventually give him a name. I allowed myself a month to get to know him before I made the choice, avoiding a hastily-chosen moniker. Finally, last week I felt ready.

I dubbed him: Pierre.

Let's just say he knows how to rock...

Happy Travels

-- Cody

PS/ In case you're wondering, that last line is a terrible pun. The word pierre is French for "rock". As it happens, this is also the name given to St. Peter, the first pope and the "rock" upon which the Catholic church is built...

PPS/ Sorry... I'll be putting up a real post soon. I was just thinking about this before I went to bed and thought I'd share the story. Good night...

feeling like an american

So I promise I'll get to the Normandie post soon. If nothing else, I'll put a link up for some pictures. You will see. It's amazing.

Anyway, I've mostly been doing class stuff this week. Homework, buying books, "reading"... you know the drill. Wednesday night, I went to dinner with Caroline at a little restaurant called "Le Petit Marcel," just down the street from Beaubourg (Centre Pompidou to the non-locals). By the time we left, we concluded that we could probably never return to the restaurant without wearing some kind of disguise. Apparently, it's rude to ask a waiter who isn't your waiter for l'addition (the check). They'll just give you a weird face. And I'm not sure what the official rule is in French society, but I don't think shattering a wine glass on the sidewalk and proceeding to scamper away without saying a word to the management is looked upon nicely. Who knew?

My course on the European Union was canceled this afternoon, so I took a political sabbatical today after translation. While downloading the final debate between Obama and McCain on itunes, I filled out the local section of my absentee ballot. I decided to wait to darken the oval next to my choice for president until I had seen all of the debates. I have for sure been leaning heavily towards Obama for quite a while now, but I wasn't quite convinced yet. The debate was definitely interesting. It was really obvious that they were both trying really hard to convince all those non-committed voters out there watching. It always feels good to watch things like the debates online here. I'll admit it: I've been missing America lately. I like feeling like I'm still connected somehow -- like a real American.

So I made my decision, filled in the oval next to my candidate (No, I won't tell you who I picked. It's an anonymous ballot, you know?), sealed the envelope, and dropped it in the mailbox at the post office down the street. Honestly, though, I had a little bit of voter's guilt afterward. Did I make the right choice? Being so far away from home, is there anything I've been missing? I kind of felt like it was unfair that I had to cast my ballot so early. But I really had no choice, as it has to get to the Douglas county clerk's office before election day, or my vote won't count. Anyway, it's all done now, and all we can do is wait and see what happens come November.

After doing my patriotic duty, I went down to Gibert Joseph to buy a book on the European Union and a grammar text for my new Arabic class (which I think will go pretty well, despite the fact that it's in St. Denis -- fondly referred to by my host brother as "the ghetto"). Then I met up with Caroline, Monica, Melissa, and her friends from U of C to visit Nôtre Dame. I'm happy to report that I actually went in this time. Being a thursday evening in the middle of October, there weren't near as many tourists lurking around as there were when I last visited the cathedral. Next, we visited the Tour de St. Jacques (where pilgrims embarking on the Chemin de Compostelle used to gather), grabbed dinner in the Latin Quarter (again), and went to our favorite haunt -- Le Who's Bar. There was a duo playing tonight that did a sweet acoustic cover of "Time is Running Out" by Muse. Killer.

Reason to Love It : French university students. So far, they seem really cool. I talked to a couple of them in my Arabic class on Wednesday. They seemed intrigued by the fact that I'm an American studying Arabic in a French setting. Hopefully, I'll be able to make some friends this way. You never know.

Reason to Leave It : Commuting to class and/or my internship every day. It's a big city, so it takes a while to get anywhere by Métro. It really makes me miss having an actual campus to live on.

Happy Travels

-- Cody

Also: Don't forget to click the links to some of my friends' study abroad blogs in the left-hand column. There's some compelling stuff there, I promise. And remember-- just like nutrition, commenting is a force multiplier. Show me you love me, baby...

time is money (unless you're an unpaid intern, that is)

i know it's been a while since i've written, so i wanted to give a quick update. it's going to be short, however, because i'm in between classes right now. granted, i've got a couple hours to kill, but i should actually be doing my homework for my next class. time is money. or something like that...

anyway, only three big things have taken place in the week or so that i haven't written:

1) i started my internship at Ni Putes Ni Soumises.

2) i took a trip to normandy (to which i will devote an entire post in the near future. for now, let's just say it was incredible)

3) i saw a couple familiar faces, if only for a few hours.

ok. so my internship. it's awesome. i explained in an earlier post that NPNS is an activist group that works to counter violence against women and inequality between the sexes. they host a lot of conferences, organize marches, launch ad campaigns, etc. to get their message out. the organization is made up of two networks: one within france, the other international. i'm working for Mar Merita in the international network. mainly because i'm an international intern who happens to speak english.

after watching a short video and being introduced to the NPNS staff on my first day, i got my first assignment. Mar told me about a new network that NPNS is in the process of organizing for women throughout the mediterranean basin (i.e. north africa, the middle east, and parts of southern europe). because of the civil rights issues and sexual inequality throughout the region, NPNS is really serious about creating a strong organization to ameliorate the situation. Mar was contacted by a group in portugal that wanted more information on this new network. this is where i come in: my job was to translate the pamphlet of info about the network from french to english, so the portuguese group would be able to read it. which is a pretty difficult task. but i was up to it, so i took it head on. i spent the remainder of my first day, and about half of my second day finishing up the translation. in the end, i was really proud of it. i mean, my work is going to help create an organization to fight for women's rights on an international level. how cool is that? for the rest of my second day, i scoured the internets for cheap flights from islamabad to paris (not for me -- for a couple people coming to a NPNS conference next month), and started assembling some fiches d'état for Mar. i have to gather political and societal information on several mediterranean countries, so she can stay up to date on the status of women around the region. pretty interesting stuff, non?

as for those "familiar faces" i mentioned earlier, i was visited by a couple friends from the states this weekend, after i returned from normandy. brianna (who's studying in belgium this fall) and dustin (who's studying in austria) spent a romantic weekend together in paris. i wasn't able to meet up with them until sunday night, when we planned to have a picnic dinner in the luxembourg gardens. but alas: the supermarkets and the gardens themselves were closed, as it was a sunday night. while they dined on chinese take-out, and i on a baguette, we strolled around the montparnasse district, close to my school. we stopped for some amazing gelato, then headed back to our respective sleeping quarters. it was a short visit, but much-needed. it was really nice talking to people i really know, and who i feel close to. it was refreshing. which makes me really excited to see my other friends throughout europe this year. and i'm especially excited for spring semester, when even more depaul kids will be studying with me at IES. woot.

i think that's all for now. i've got to get to my homework... bof. like i said, look out for my normandy post coming up very soon.

Reason to Love It : living so close to amazing places like normandy. seriously awesome. traveling in europe is incredible.

Reason to Leave It : my crappy european phone.

Happy Travels

-- Cody

La Nuit Blanche, or 7 Euro Bonbons? For Real?, or Why One Might Question the Sanity of the French

Last night was Paris' annual Nuit Blanche (White Night). Like I mentioned in my last post, Nuit Blanche is an all night celebration of art, culture, music, and performance. Churches, Métro stations, gardens, museums, and parks all throughout the city hosted events from sunset to sunrise. Boy, was it interesting...

After enjoying a home-made dinner of crêpes with my host sister, Nolwenn, and two of her friends, I made my choice about where to spend the evening. Based on timing, proximity to my family's apartment, and Caroline's preferences, I decided to go to the Centre Georges Pompidou (the inside-out building, remember?). The Center would be keeping the doors to its modern art gallery open all night long. This is where things got interesting. I arrived at the center quite a bit before Caroline was to join me, so I decided not to step into the huge line for the art gallery just yet. Starting to wander around, I came across a strange, almost airstream-like trailer with a bright neon sign on top reading, "Chambre(s) d'Hôtel" [Hotel Room(s)]. Nothing was really going on around it, so I didn't think much of it and continued on. But this unassuming little trailer will make another appearance in this post...

I then found my way to Église St. Merry, a church right next door to the Centre Pompidou. The church had been decked out for Nuit Blanche with lofty works of art, eery lighting, and various performers. When I first walked in, a dance group was just finishing up. I have to admit, it was a bit strange seeing hip hop dance in a centuries-old church. Up next, an awesome poet/actor/dancer(?) stepped into the spotlight. I'm not sure what to call what he did, but it might be similar to a French version of slam poetry. Anyway, he concluded his set with this soul-shaking quote:

-- "Moi, je suis Henri Marche. Et vous -- vous aussi -- Vous êtes Henri Marche..."

-- "Me, I'm Henri Marche. And you -- you as well -- You are Henri Marche..."

How true, how true... After this revelation, I did some more wandering. As fate would have it, I found myself back at the trailer. This time, I was in for a treat. Whatever company that was responsible for the presence of the trailer had begun their show for the evening. A large window on the side of the trailer that had once been obscured by a white curtain now revealed 2 women and a man inside, moving and dancing about with blank expressions on their faces. This, ladies and gentlemen, was my first experience with "performance art." From what I gathered from the abstract acting and trance-like music, the piece was about some sort of prostitution ring, or maybe domestic violence witnessed by a hotel cleaning lady, or maybe murder as a result of a love triangle? Maybe? It's hard to say. All I really learned was that the French might be nuts. Here's a short clip of the performance. I'll let you decide what it's about:

Just about the time this finished up, Caroline called to let me know she had arrived. I found her in the swaying crowd of drunk Frenchmen, and we headed to the line for the modern art gallery. Just then, a man from the center came out and told us the doors would be locked at 1 am. It was about 12:55. So we wisely chose to cut our losses. We explored the area a bit more, then I took Caroline back over to Église St. Merry, where we watched another dance crew. Yeah, more hip hop in the church. But they were good, so it was worth it.

Deciding it was getting too dangerously close to the time when the Métro would stop running, Caroline and I wound our way back to the station. Along the way, I found a huge stand selling amazing-looking candy. It was just too much to resist. I asked the worker how much the candy cost. "2,90 € for 100 g." Contemplating what 100 g of candy might feel like, I filled my bag with delicious sweets. Satisfied, I handed the bag over for weighing, praying that I hadn't stuffed it with more than 5 or 6 euro's worth. Well, it turned out to be 7 euro and some change. I wasn't too terribly upset by the price, so we continued on our way to the station. While we waited for our train, we decided to see if the candy was worth it. Alas, the bonbons were sub-par. Naturally. I got home about 45 minutes later, clutching the bag of sweets and feeling ready for bed.

I now leave you with a treat of your own: Love It or Leave It.

Reason to Love It: The architecture. The buildings here are absolutely beautiful. And old, man. It's hard to imagine that most of the churches in this city have been around longer than the United States...

Reason to Leave It: No Chicago style deep dish pizza in Paris. Nuf said.

Happy Travels

-- Cody

1 down. 8 to go.

(Warning: super long post dead ahead)

Today makes 1 month since I've been in Paris.

1 whole month. I can hardly believe that. It's strange, but it feels both like I've been here forever & like I just got here yesterday afternoon. So much has happened. I've seen so many things. I've met so many awesome people. Yet, to quote Steve Miller: Time keeps on slippin' (slippin' slippin') into the future. I'm 1/9th of the way through my time in Paris. Let's hope the next 9th goes as well as the first.

A lot has happened in the last week. I celebrated my birthday on friday, saw some sights over the weekend, trudged my way through classes during the week, and even had a couple interviews sprinkled in here and there.

First up: 21 Jump Street

Friday was my birthday, y'all. 21 years old. Woot. Going into this day, I had been thinking about how being in Europe does two things to a 21st birthday: 1. It pretty much negates the coolness this birthday has in the states, as no one really cares how old you are in France -- anyone can drink. But 2. It makes it sooo much cooler, as you can say to all your friends, "Hey, you stumbled around Chicago on your birthday? Well, I stumbled around Europe on mine." Right?

Anyway, after a pretty mediocre day, I met up with a group of IES friends at the Oberkampf stop on the Métro. We found a nice establishment at which to spend the evening. After a few hours of shenanigans, we decided that we really wanted to go watch the live broadcast of the presidential debate. With the time difference, it started at 3 am in Paris. So we found our way to the pub down by the Louvre which had advertised the debate. It was pretty crowded with fellow Americans and Europeans interested in politics. It was definitely an interesting experience. It was pretty clear that the crowd in the pub leaned way to the left, cheering Obama on and laughing off McCain's comments. But I had a great time. It was exactly what I needed.

That weekend, I decided to do some serious sight-seeing. On saturday, I met up with Caroline & Monica from IES (as well as Monica's sister, Melissa, and her friend from the U of Chicago group in Paris) for a trip to the Conciergerie and Ste. Chappelle. They're both located in the Palais de Justice on Île de la Cité. The Conciergerie is a former prison, acting as the final stop before execution for many unfortunate French convicts, including Marie Antoinette. The museum has done a very good job maintaining the feel of the prison, even mocking up cells with creepy mannequins.

Next, we headed over to Ste. Chappelle, a beautiful church renowned for its gorgeous stained glass. There are two main chapels in the church -- one on each of its two levels. The lower level doesn't have any stained glass, but its painted walls and arches are definitely impressive. The upper level is the real knockout. When you step out from the staircase tucked in the corner of the room, the huge stained glass windows lining the walls are almost too much to take in at once. Incredible. There are chairs along the perimeter of the room, allowing tourists to sit and gaze at whichever side the sunlight happens to be filtering through. It really is an amazing sight. 

In my eyes, the only real fault of Ste. Chappelle is the fact that it is no longer a real church. It is simply a pretty tourist attraction. On the lower level, instead of pews or even any type of seating, you are greeted with a long bank of stalls selling books, pictures, postcards, etc. It's purely commercial. It's sad, but at least the building is being maintained and protected.

On sunday, I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and made the long trek out to the Château de Versailles. To get there, I had to take the RER (a train mainly used for Paris' suburbs, like Chicago's Metra). After the hour+ trip, I stepped off the train and walked up to the château, about 10 minutes from the station. I waited in the ticket line, then toured the palace, opting to forego the headsets offering a detailed tour. I figured I could appreciate the palace without them. Man, Versailles is beautiful. Very epic. The rooms are meticulously kept, and the art is astounding. One downfall: There is an exhibition running through December of work by Jeff Koons, a contemporary American artist. His stuff is pretty cool, and I could definitely see myself enjoying it maybe in a modern art gallery. But it just feels out of place in Versailles. The palace is very well put together, and in the style of classicist art, it is complete. Adding to or taking away from the palace throws it off. So needless to say, I didn't enjoy most of the huge balloon sculptures or wooden statues sprinkled around the château. It kind of felt like theft. I won't even mention the statue titled, "Michael Jackson and Bubbles." Seriously...

However, stepping outside the walls of the château, the huge gardens were incredible. I only scratched the surface of the Jardin, but it was a moving experience. The fountains, the manicured trees and plants, the paths, the canal, the birds in flight all around, the setting sun. It was perfect. Like the stained glass at Ste. Chappelle, it was almost too much beauty to handle. It's certainly too much to faithfully describe in words, or capture in a photograph. I definitely plan on returning soon to do some exploring.

The rest of the week was split between classes, meetings, and a few outings. Classes are all still going pretty well. They're picking up, as we're moving past the introductory stage, but they're only getting more interesting. I've noticed that the number of students is dwindling in the more difficult courses. Naturally. On monday, I found out my official placement for my internship this year. I will be working with an association called "Ni Putes Ni Soumises" --translated as "Neither Whores Nor Submissives" -- in the international section. It's an activist organization that works to counter violence against women, and to promote gender equality. I don't know exactly what my job will entail, but it will be an eye-opening year, for sure. I'll let you know more as I find out.

On wednesday night, Caroline and I took advantage of the free theatre tickets at the IES office, going to see a play called "La Folle Allure." It was a one-woman show. In French. So it was pretty strange. But well done. I guess. It was tough to understand a lot of it, but I got the gist of the story. The actress was definitely skilled, not to mention a real gymnast. At several points in the show, she suspended herself (sometimes with one leg, sometimes just a hand) from a metal swing set bar. Let's just say she was upside down a lot. Gotta love the French.

Friday, I had a meeting with the director of IES to talk about the Arabic class we're still looking for. If I can't find one in the end, I plan on taking a religious studies class at the Institut Catholique de Paris. We'll see how that turns out. Afterward, I met up with Caroline, Monica, and Melissa once more for a bit of touristic fun. We decided to head to the Louvre, using our awesome cartes louvre jeunes to gain free access to the museum. As it happened, we chose the right night to go. There were actors and musicians sprinkled about the wing we found ourselves in. Dressed in black or white, the actors gave monologues and duets about particular paintings or artists featured in the rooms. It was a very cool -- and very French -- way to learn a little bit of art history. So classy.

Today, I've just been chilling at home, watching videos of the debates. Interesting stuff, I tell you. Really, I'm just resting up before the big celebration tonight: Paris' Nuit Blanche 2008. It's the all-night cultural festival that inspired Chicago's Looptopia. From sunset to sunrise, the city will be host to musicians, artists, filmmakers, and speakers from around the world. There's so much to do, I don't have a clue where to start. I guess I'm just going to play it by ear. I'll definitely fill you in.

And finally, Love It or Leave It.

Reason to Love It: The cheese. I love it all, but chevre (goat) is my favorite. Delicious...

Reason to Leave It: The French idea of "customer service." Sometimes I'd just like a waiter at a restaurant to be... uh, nice to me, you know?

Happy Travels

-- Cody

Photos galore

Hey.

I discovered Picasa Web Albums today. It's way less complicated than what I was using before, and it has a much larger capacity. So I'll be using Picasa from now on. You can find the links to all my pictures to the left, under Mes Photos.

Enjoy
-- Cody

Call me a chameleon...

Greetings from the land of cheese, baguettes, and mimes. Oh, and berets. And wine. And Gerard Depardieu -- can't forget him. Well, I guess one could say that France is known for many things. Though surprisingly, that classic "French laugh" that we all know and love (you know: hon hon hon!) doesn't really exist here. Le shocking. And I guess the French don't necessarily appreciate the stereotype, either. Whoops.

I've finished my first week of classes. Generally interesting, midly frustrating, and most certainly tiring, my courses cover a pretty broad range of subjects. My first course of the week is my internship seminar, which doesn't actually start until the week after next. So for now, I've got a hole in my schedule. My first real class is Traduction (Translation). I can already tell this is going to be difficult. It's tough trying to translate idioms and very specific turns of phrase from my native English into my not-so-native French, but I am bound to learn a lot from it. The next course on my academic menu is called Questions d'esthétique, or Questions of Aesthetics. Depsite having to study 18th century operas, I enjoy this class immensely. Our professor is very knowledgeable, entertaining, and not too difficult to understand. And finally, there is my course on Institutions et vie politique de l'Union Européenne (Institutions and political life of the European Union). My professor is an energetic, young Italian man with an Italian accent to match. His is probably my toughest course. I've only studied a small bit of political science and economy at DePaul, so I've got my work cut out for me. But this is also probably my most important course in terms of relevancy, as A) I'm currently living in the European Union, and B) France currently holds the presidency of said union.

I've heard a lot of other students grumbling about their professors or courses in general, which is normal at any school, but I don't really see their reasons. Ok, I admit that some lectures might be a bit disorganized, but that has pretty much been my whole experience with this trip. Everything seems a bit vague, a touch last-minute-ish. So I've made the necessary adjustments and continue on with life. It's all a question of adaptability. Some of you may know that I pride myself on being adaptable. Call me a chameleon.

Speaking of adjustments, I've noticed that it's getting a whole lot easier for me to comprehend large amounts of the French language all at once. Class lectures aren't quite as mentally taxing as they once were. Newspapers don't look quite as much like minefields of unknown words as they used to. And my host family doesn't have to slow down their speech quite as much anymore (I think). While I am by no means fluent, it's definitely getting easier. All this suggests to me that total immersion in a language really does breed understanding. Which makes me very happy that I chose to study here for a whole year.

Apart from my classes, this week has been decent. I've gone on a couple outings, shared meals with good friends, and gotten to know the city a little better. Last night, returning from yet another trip to Place St. Michel for dinner, my friends and I stopped to watch a dance group on the sidewalk. They had set up shop right next to a Métro station, drawing a formidable crowd. They were supposedly "break dancers," but I wasn't too terribly impressed. A couple of them were very good. Literally, only a couple. The rest (all 5 or 6 of them) had dance moves only slightly more complex than if I were to become their choreographer. Still, they entertained the crowd, so they've got something going for them. We didn't stick around too long, wisely slipping down the stairs to the Métro just before the dancer holding his upside-down hat could ask us for money. I would feel bad if the dollar were a bit stronger. Maybe.

And now on to a new segment in my blog I like to call, "Love It or Leave It." Here, I will give one reason for which I adore Paris, and one for which I might find myself tempted to leave this city. I'll try to do this as often as I can. It might be interesting to see how my opinions change throughout the year. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Anyway, here it is: Love It or Leave It.

Reason to Love It: All the random musicians in the Métro. Guitars, accordions, mandolins, harps, keyboards -- you name it, I've seen it played on a train or in a station.

Reason to Leave It: Feeling so out of the loop concerning American politics and news in general. Yeah, I usually complain about the petty arguments in campaign ads at home. And yeah, I find local news reports tiresome and depressing most of the time. But damn it, I miss it all.

(ok, I know I can read the news online and whatnot, but it's just not the same...)

With that, I bid you adieu.

Happy Travels
-- Cody

Wesh, mon frère

Creepy, huh?

Well apparently, the catacombes underneath Paris hold the bones of millions of people. That's a lot of skeletons. And nightmares. Like I said: creepy. I thought it was a very interesting part of French history, but I definitely would not advise those with weak constitutions to venture down into the skull-lined tunnels. If you enjoy morbid quotes, however, I strongly recommend a visit. There are plaques all around the tunnels with sayings from several authors. Here's one of my favorites:

"Pensez le matin que vous n'irez peut être pas jusques au soir et au soir que vous n'irez peut être pas jusques au matin."

or:

"Think in the morning that you might not make it to the night, and at night that you might not make it to morning."


I made the trip to the "empire of the dead" this past Thursday with a friend of mine from class. We had already eaten lunch, but I still had a couple hours to kill before my academic meeting with the IES director. So knowing the catacombs were only about 5 or 10 minutes from the IES center, I suggested a trip.

This is pretty much how the past week has gone for me. With my days of free time slowly slipping away before the start of classes, I tried to get out more and see the city. I've probably been down to Place St. Michel and the surrounding district four or five times now, but it's just such an interesting area. My host father told me he wasn't surprised. He said it's kind of like Picadilly Circus in London, only better (because it's in Paris?). Place St. Michel has a great big fountain and lots of pubs and restaurants that tourists adore. It also happens to be located in the famous Latin Quarter. So you can't go wrong with a visit here.

On Friday, all the IES students and staff met for an official welcome lunch at the Eiffel Tower. It's really hard to describe in words or capture in a picture just how huge the tower is. It's incredibly impressive. I had seen it off in the distance many times since I arrived in Paris, but I waited to actually visit there until the welcome lunch. And I'm definitely glad I chose to do so.

After snapping some obligatory "on top of the world" photos, I headed down to the street with a group of IESers to take a tour of the city on one of those big, red, double-decker buses. It was nice to be able to see so many sights without lifting a foot. Just sit back, relax, and take in the city. Also, the head phones they gave us let us listen to the tour in not only English or French, but also Spanish, Japanese, and Russian. Which always makes things more interesting, right?

Sunday was the "Journée de la Patrimoine" (or something like "Heritage Day"), so just about all the national monuments and museums in Paris were open for touring. I hit up the Place des Vosges, only a 20-30 minute walk from my apartment. There, I visited the home of Victor Hugo, world famous French author. If you've seen the Hunchback of Notre-Dame, you know his work. It was pretty interesting. I mean, it's a house. So I don't know how interesting it can be. Granted, it was in an awesome area of Paris, and Victor Hugo was an amazing author. But I can only handle so many historically-acurate sitting rooms and parlors.

Which must be why I proceeded straight to the Musée Carnavalet, located in an old palace in the Marais district. In case you're wondering, this museum is pretty much the same as the Victor Hugo home, just with fewer pictures of Mr. Hugo, and more portraits of the aristocracy. So needless to say, I didn't stay long. I did, however, manage to take quite a few pictures at both places. And to prove to you that I actually went there, I made it a challenge for me to take as many self-portraits as I could in the many mirrors lining the walls of the museums:

Left: In the Maison de Victor Hugo.

Right: In the Musée Carnavalet

Before my adventures in old-living-room-land, my host brother taught me my new favorite phrase in French: Wesh, mon frère. It's the equivalent of "Yo, my brother" in English. But, as Nathou put it (in French), "If you happened to be in the suburbs in the 80s or 90s, you might have heard people saying this." Apparently, it sounds ridiculous to the French today. Which is why I made a vow to use this expression as often as possible. I greeted the family with a jolly wesh this evening before dinner, and my host mother told me I sounded very French. Score.

I officially started my classes today. Woot woot. My schedule says I should have had my Internship Seminar this morning, but since the internships haven't actually started yet, that was not the case. So after arriving at the IES center nice and early, I found myself with about 2 hours to kill before my only other class. So I sat in the lounge, eating pain au chocolat, drinking apple juice, and reading a Lucky Luke comic book. And let me tell you: Lucky Luke may have been written in the 50s, but it's damn funny. Or at least as funny as a French comic book about a cowboy in the Wild West can be. I finished the tale of Lucky Luke and the bandit Phil Defer, then headed to class. The subject: Questions of Aesthetics, or the Philosophy of Art. It should be pretty darn interesting.

The rest of today, I've just been catching up on some writing -- in my journal, on here, and on some post cards. I'm going to try to hit the hay early tonight, as my Translation course starts at 9 am tomorrow. Oh, and my only other class tomorrow -- Political Life in the European Union -- doesn't start until about 4:00, so let's hope I find something worthwhile to fill my time with.

I'll be putting up some pictures of the past week sometime soon. And yes, there will be more skeletons. And more self-portraits in 18th century mirrors. Stay tuned.

Happy Travels,
-- Cody