Mon Dieu!

Bonjour à tous!

I've officially completed my first full week here in Paris, though it seems like I've been here for much longer. I've begun to settle into the odd little social quirks and ways of doing things here. Life is becoming a bit more comfortable, and it will continue to do so as I grow to understand French culture. Sure, I've had some hang-ups concerning the transfer of moolah from the US to here, and sure, I've had to adapt to the formality of social life, but it hasn't been too bad thus far.

This past week, I began my first course: the propédeutique. Actually, this is only a kind of "pre-course". A form of academic foreplay, if you will. Continuing through this coming thursday, my propédeutique group meets each morning to discuss French grammar, mistakes commonly made by anglophones, and introductory bits of translation. So far, the course has been pretty easy, but definitely helpful. It's a good way to ease into the semester.

I won't actually know my official schedule until this thursday, when I have my academic meeting with my advisor at IES. I will (hopefully) also find out this week if and where I will have an internship for the fall. This is definitely a new feeling for me: being so close to the start of the school year, so deep into the month of September, and still not really having any idea as to what the semester will look like. I guess that's just how they do things here in France. C'est la vie...

As my orientation to IES wraps up, I've toned down the sight-seeing a bit. Earlier in the week, I took a trip up to Montmartre to see the Sacré Cœur (Sacred Heart) Basilica. It's a beautiful domed church at the top of a huge hill in the northern part of the city. The view from the basilica is amazing. You can see almost the entirety of Paris just a few steps from the front doors. Entering those doors, the basilica may not be as breath-taking as Notre Dame, but it is still beautiful. I had the luck to visit during an evening prayer service in which a group of nuns sang their blessed little hearts out. I don't know what it is about them, but I just love nuns. They seem to always make me happy. Then again, that's probably due to the fact that I didn't go to a Catholic grade school. Sitting outside the basilica after the service, I enjoyed an interesting discussion about religion, belief, and blind faith with a new friend of mine from IES. I've only known her for a few days now, but I guess the holy music put us in an open mood.

I continued my holy theme later that week when I found out that Pope Benedict would be coming to Paris on friday and saturday, before heading to Lourdes on sunday. I knew this could possibly be a once in a lifetime experience, so I jumped at the chance to see the visit. Friday afternoon, I headed down to the Île de la Cité to meet Liesse, my host sister. She had staked out a spot with her fellow Catholic university students right alongside the river Seine, just to the south of the Notre Dame cathedral. After waiting a couple hours in the huge crowd that had quickly gathered, we watched the pope as he made his way past us in the "papamobile" (which is freaking sweet), on his way to the cathedral. We had a good spot next to the road, so I'd say I was no more than 15 or 20 feet away when he rode past. Inside the cathedral, Pope Benedict presided over an evening vespers service, broadcast on huge screens placed all around the outside of the cathedral. After that was done, he walked out to the podium placed just outside the front doors, to the roar of the crowds. There he gave an address to the youth of France. Unfortunately for me, he spoke in French. I could understand most of what he said, but the finer points were lost. (Luckily, I found the English translation.) During the speech, I could feel the energy in the crowd, and could tell that the people around me were very moved by his words.

After returning home and having a late meal of soup, cauliflower, cheese, and yogurt with my host mother, I hit the hay. I set my alarm a little later than usual, thinking the outdoor mass the Pope was to preside over was not until saturday night. I planned on eating lunch, then heading down early to try to find a good spot. Well, when I woke up in the morning, my host mother said to me, "Oh, you didn't go see the Pope today?" Naturally, I was confused. She informed me that the Pope's mass was actually that morning. I slept right through it. I was definitely disappointed, but I found consolation in that I got to see his speech the night before.

Today (sunday), I went to my first French mass at St. Eustache. I had been told that the church is known for its beautiful choir and incredible organist. What I didn't know was that the church itself is absolutely gorgeous. I haven't been inside Notre Dame yet, but I have to say, St. Eustache is probably the most beautiful church I've ever set foot in. And what I had heard was true: the music was awesome. I noticed that there didn't seem to be very many parishioners at the mass. At a church, you can tell who's a "regular" and who's just there paying a visit. For such a huge church, the congregation seemed pretty small to me. It might have something to do with the current state of relations among the secular and the religious of Paris. According to my host mother, there has been quite a bit of tension recently towards Christians in Paris, specifically Catholics. The high-profile visit by the pope only added to that tension. There seems to be a real swing towards secularism in the city. As a new-comer, I'm still not privy to the ins and outs of this whole issue, but it is definitely an interesting time to be here.

That's all for now. Until next time,

Happy Travels
-- Cody