2 things

Well hi. Long time no see, huh? Since I've been back home in the States for a good seven months now, I figured it'd be appropriate for a QUICK UPDATE and an ENTICING LINK.

QUICK UPDATE: I'm in Chicago and I love it. For the first time in my DePaul career, I spent my entire summer break in the city. I lived with my good friend Kelli in the fantastic Lincoln Square neighborhood all the way until Fall Quarter started in September. I now live with Mark, a friend from the great state of Wyoming, in North Center. I'm really digging apartment life. Classes went very well this fall, and I'm now working toward a minor in Public Policy. I'm also working at a local coffee shop called Siena Coffee. I really love it. I'm on break now, just working until classes start back up in January. Other than that, I've just been living life the best I can and loving the people around me.

ENTICING LINK: If you want to stay updated with what's going on with me now that I'm back in the US, you can! I just started up a new blog over on Tumblr. It's brand new, so I haven't posted much, but you should definitely check it out here.

Thanks for following me during my adventure abroad! Catch you later!

Happy Travels

-- Cody

my brush with celebrity

So let me tell you about how I met Carla Bruni and Eve Ensler...

Monday afternoon I got a call from my Italian coworker, Ginevra, asking if I would be available tuesday evening after work. There was apparently going to be some sort of meeting about the work NPNS does with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and all the interns were invited. And there would probably be stuff to eat. Eager for free food, I said I'd be there.

So yesterday I go into work. All is cool. I spend the day working on the grant proposal for a women's rights project in Guinea. In the afternoon one of the other interns mentions that they think Carla Bruni, the first lady of France, will be at the event. I get excited. I'm also invited by my boss, Mar, to another meeting about the Congo that will be happening at the NPNS office wednesday evening. Ever polite and eager for new experiences, I oblige. Anyway, the evening draws closer, and our official time at the office ends. Pauline, Ginevra and I grab a quick dinner and head to the museum where the event is being held. As we get closer, I find out the Rama Yade, the French secretary of state for human rights, will be acting as host for the event, and that Eve Ensler would be there. As many of my friends know quite well, Eve Ensler is the author of the Vagina Monologues. So I'm thinking this is freaking sweet and I'm loving my job right about now.

Well, we get to the museum, walk past Rama Yade on our way into the building, then slip past Eve Ensler on our way up the staircase (whispering to each other, "Was that...?" "Yeah! I think so!") and into the theatre where the presentation is happening. After a quick introduction by Rama, Eve comes on stage with Carla Bruni. The three proceed to discuss the situation in the Congo -- war, mass raping of women, unspeakable horrors -- and then Eve talks about the project that her organization, V-Day, is working on to help the Congolese women.  Next, they screen the brand new V-Day movie about the Congo. And finally, several other important people in charge of human rights organizations (including Sihem Habchi, présidente of NPNS) take the stage for a round-table discussion on the topic. This is all very interesting stuff, and really eye-opening.

After the presentation, the audience is invited to go back out into the art gallery to enjoy a "cocktail dînatoire" (just a fancy way of saying "cocktail buffet" -- but with French wine and real hors d'oeuvres). This would be an appropriate place to mention that I felt entirely out of place during this whole event. Apparently it was a kind of private event, only meant for leaders of NGOs, business people, and members of the press. Everyone was wearing nice suits and sensible dresses. I was wearing jeans and a checkered shirt. I was obviously only there because of my NPNS connections.

Anyway, the whole reason NPNS was at the event is because we're joining up with V-Day's campaign in the Congo to raise awareness and help the women suffering over there. Which is why the second meeting -- this evening -- took place. Eve Ensler, along with her V-Day team, and other representatives from several Congo-based NGOs came to the NPNS office for a planning meeting. Again, all us interns were there, and we got to sit at the big table with everyone else. So I was literally across the table from Eve the whole time. The meeting itself was interesting, but it was really just logistical mumbo-jumbo. But it was still an awesome experience. Afterwards, we had our own small NPNS-style refreshment buffet: Coke, orange soda, chips and assorted nuts. Classy classy.

(That's Eve on the far left)

Soooo... yeah. I just thought that was pretty dang cool. These past two evenings have made me realize how connected and truly influential Ni Putes Ni Soumises really is. And how lucky I am that I get to work with them while I'm here. On a side-note: I'm pretty sure my French accent is way better than Eve Ensler's... just saying.

So click here if you want to learn more about the V-Day campaign, and here for some background on the atrocities they're fighting against in the DRC. Please. And then tell your friends about it.

Oh, and I almost forgot : I'm heading down to Bordeaux bright and early tomorrow morning to visit my friends Elizabeth and Colin (who both used to go to DePaul with me) for a few days. They've been studying down there in wine country this school year, and I've been wanting to visit them for a long time now. It will be nice to see some old familiar faces. I'll be back sunday afternoon, so let you know how the trip goes.

Happy Travels

-- Cody

"Laser"

So, remember that "laser-light show" from Chantilly I mentioned in my last post? Were you intrigued? Well, you're in luck. I remembered today that I took a video of it.

Prepare to be amazed...

spring has sprung

[19 mars 2009]

Things I have learned so far this spring :

1. Sun-soaked parisian boulevards may rival Kansas prairies in beauty.

2. Un pez no es una persona. Un pez es un animal.

3. Nothing ruins a deliciously plump clementine faster than biting into it and finding out it has seeds.

4. Nothing ruins a sweet, rose-colored Fuji apple faster than slicing it open and finding out it is completely rotten. [Insert philosophical meanderings about the shallowness of beauty here.]

5. Un sombrero no es un alimento. No es un tipo de comida.

6. The French absolutely despise jello. Their hatred for the jiggly stuff will not be swayed.

7. The boulangerie down the street from my apartment makes the best pain au chocolat in the history of France.

8. It doesn't matter how long I stay in Paris -- I will always love winding my way through the museums and strolling through the city's parks.

[Side note: The vast majority of that list is in some way related to food. I may have to loosen my belt if the spring continues in this way...]

Anyway... it's been a while, my darling internet. How have you been? I've missed you dearly. I hope you're not too sore about my apparent neglect for your interest in my life. Not that my life is all that interesting. Honestly, this semester has been nothing but class, work, and long stretches of free time. I have gone on one trip with IES to see a castle, but that's about it.

Ok, now I'm making it sound like my life is boring here. Which it isn't. My internship has continued to be fun and varied, and I'm starting to become good friends with the fellow interns at the office. It's funny: I don't really remember a single day last semester when I was truly excited to go to work. It was all pretty monotonous. But this spring has been so much better. The projects I've worked on seem like they'll actually be useful for me in the future, such as writing grant proposals (in English and French), working on press releases, (successfully) interpreting for victims of violence who don't speak any French, and talking talking talking to random strangers to invite them to NPNS events. It actually seems like I'm making a difference for the association, and not just taking up space. This is the kind of work I was hoping to do when I started in the fall. The kind of work that just might translate into a real job when I graduate and decide what I want to do with my life. I'm starting to feel really lucky to have this opportunity.

Speaking of things I've been starting to feel lately: It's totally dawned on me that my time is tick tick ticking away. As I'm writing this, I only have two months left in Paris, give or take a couple days. TWO MONTHS... that's nothing. I feel like I've been here for so long, and I'm ready to go home in so many ways, but I know I'm going to miss it like crazy. I'm going to miss the bakeries and crêpe stands. I'm going to miss being so close to so many world-famous landmarks. I'm going to miss the seemingly thousands of museums spread throughout the city. But knowing that this is all temporary -- and having known that from the start -- has helped me to keep my head on straight and appreciate this adventure. So I'm going to take these last two months and live them for all they're worth...

Before I go, here are some quick highlights from the past month or so:

Chantilly : A few weeks back I went on an IES excursion to the Château in Chantilly, a little town just a couple hours from Paris. Despite what most people said about the trip, I had a great time. The château is quite impressive on the outside, but the inside is really more like an art gallery than what you'd typically expect from a castle of this kind. Seriously, it's right up there with the Louvre. Because of that, though, the tour we got was verrry long, and I think our guide could tell the everyone was spacing out. After the tour, we sat down for lunch in the château's restaurant (delicious), then headed over to a museum that houses all the equipment to pump water to the castle's fountains. This is where it got worse: Half the tour was centered around what used to serve as the laundromat for nobles living in Chantilly. Seriously. An 18th century laundromat. But the tour ended well with a giant water wheel and an awesomely bad laser-light and techno music show. Well done, Chantilly.

Au Musée : I've been making near-weekly visits to art galleries this semester with my History of Modern Art class. It's been awesome. We study different movements of modern art, along with their important artists, then go to museums to look at the works first hand. I definitely couldn't do something like this in Kansas. It's a real treat. My favorite museum so far has been the Musée Gustave Moreau. Moreau was a key figure of the Symbolism movement, and before he died he decided to turn his home and workshop into his very own museum. The museum is jam packed with his paintings, along with cabinets full of sketches and figure studies, and has also preserved his living spaces. So you can see both sides of Moreau -- the man and the artist. Definitely worth a visit if you're ever in the area.

An International Fiesta : Last weekend I took Ellen to a house-warming party at the apartment of one of my coworkers, Pauline. It was truly an international experience. Pauline is French, but she has a Canadian boyfriend, whom she met while studying abroad in Norway. Canadian boyfriend now lives and studies in Belgium, where he became friends with a guy from Chicago (who happened to do his undergrad studies at DePaul), and who he brought to the party as well. One of Pauline's roommates is also Canadian, but he lives in the apartment with his Chilean girlfriend. There were also two friends from Mexico and one from Colombia (I think...?) at the party, but I don't remember how they're involved. And a slew Pauline's French friends were there as well. It was exhausting keeping this all straight and remembering when I could and could not speak French, but I had a great time.

Georgia Preach : This week is the "Semaine du Marais Chrétien" (the week of Christianity in the Marais district), so there have been lots of free concerts, expositions, and conferences going on. I decided to check out a concert at a nearby church this past Sunday. I saw a choir who sang traditional polyphonic chants and folk songs from Georgia (the eastern European country, not the state). This sacred Georgian music is well-known for its very tight harmonies and generally melancholic tone. It's beautiful, but haunting and sad at the same time -- even if the content of the song is happy. There was one song that is traditionally sung after the birth of a child, but you might mistake it for a funeral ballad if you're not careful. I walked away from the concert with a very cool melody in my head that I wanted to use in a song I've been working on, but it slipped out my ear while I wasn't paying attention...

St. Pat's at the Park : After work on Tuesday my fellow interns, Pauline and Ginevra (an Italian), and I decided to celebrate St. Patrick's day in a nearby park. So we stopped into Monoprix to grab some Guinness, apple-stuffed beignets, and dark chocolate Petit Ecolier cookies. The park we went to, the Parc des Buttes Chaumont, is absolutely beautiful. It's a huge mass of rolling hills, winding paths, and waterfalls -- all man-made, by the way -- on the north side of Paris. I've been wanting to go there for a while, so I was pumped when Pauline suggested it. Once there, we picked a spot on a hillside facing the mountain-top temple and the setting sun. Just before dusk, I looked up at what I though were oddly-shaped birds, but I soon realized they were bats. So with the flock of chauve-souris circling above our heads, we drank to St. Pat and shared stories about home. What an evening.

Happy Travels

-- Cody

{Also: Look up there on the left! It's my new feature, "Quoi de Neuf? the micro-blog". Check it out to follow me on Twitter and get a more regular peek into my life in Paris.}

a very long post

[15 février 2009]

First things first: Happy (belated) Valentine's Day!

I hope you ate chocolate.

Anyway, have I got something special in store for you! That's right, I'm going to recap this last week or so! How exciting! Seriously, a lot has been going on. I feel obliged to give y'all the lowdown. Before I start that, a side note: I have a project this weekend. I'm going to start uploading my pictures from last semester / winter break. Seriously, I just realized that I haven't put any pics online since probably November. I suck at this...

Ok here goes:

VENDREDI (friday) : The day of the suburb conference. I spent the day in Dreux, a small-ish town about 2 hours from Paris by bus. Getting there was quite fun. I had to be at the NPNS office at 6:30 am, because that's when the bus was supposedly going to leave. I should have known better and realized that when the French say "We're leaving at 6:30" they actually mean "We're leaving whenever we damn well feel like it because we're French." We didn't even load onto the bus until around 7:30. But I just chilled and napped on the office couch, so it's all good. Once we got to the conference hall, Jef (aka Jean-François) handed us all our guest badges and led us to the "Association Village", where we breakfasted on croissants and café. The conference was divided into two parts: a big hall where the debates and speeches would take place, and the "Village" where each association had a booth set up kind of like an involvement fair at DePaul. I had the choice of either chilling at the booth and schmoozing or watching the debates. Hoping to see some first class arguments, I chose the debates. Since the whole conference was about "Espoir Banlieues" (the suburban development program I talked about in an earlier post), the debates focused on social issues in the suburbs. It was a pretty cool set up. A panel of experts sat on stage, fielding questions, while a pair of real life TV personalities called on audience members and asked for testimonies, suggestions, questions, etc. It felt kind of like a big talk show. Pretty interesting. After the debates, Fadela Amara came on stage to give a super long speech about the program. It was interesting, but I honestly didn't learn much from it. I had already done quite a bit of research on the program for NPNS, and Fadela's speech wasn't much more than a summary of what they were doing -- lots of generalities, vague promises of "change", hope for the future (Ring a bell, anyone?). Anyway, then we got lunch, waited around for a while, shook hands / schmoozed with Fadela, and got back on the bus. All in all I had a really good time, and it seemed like the NPNS team had forgiven me for my disastrous first days back at the office. Woot!

SAMEDI (saturday) : The day of welcome. IES organized a welcome lunch at the Atelier Guy Martin -- a pretty well-known cooking school / restaurant. The welcome lunch was originally supposed to be on a boat, cruising along the Seine, but one of the students had an internship at the Atelier last semester, and she suggested doing the lunch there as a way to "bond" and "have fun" while "cooking". She's obviously never seen me in the kitchen. I mean, don't get me wrong -- I make damn good macaroni. Just don't ask for anything much more complicated than that... Anyway, we scrubbed up, donned white plastic aprons, grabbed some knives and veggies, and went to work. We ended up making some kind of vegetable risotto (maybe?) stuff with really juicy chicken. To top it all off, we had chocolate soufflé for dessert. Amazing. And you know what? It kind of made me want to start cooking for myself more often. It's kind of nice. Later that night, my friend Kamila invited a bunch of us IES students over to the apartment she shares with her Polish cousin. Apparently, the cousin just recently became a naturalized French citizen. So they decided to celebrate the occasion with a fête. It was a really great time. I met lots of Kamila's Polish cousin's cousins, French friends, and even some of the IES newbies. Great times were had by all.

DIMANCHE (sunday) : The day of rest. Seriously, I didn't do anything. Ok, I watched some Seinfeld, but that's about it. But I needed it. I was tired starting to get the sniffles... more on that later...

LUNDI (monday) : The day of classes starting! The day began with a course on the history of modern art. We're starting with the impressionists and working our way up through the 20th century. It seems like it's going to be a big repeat of a lot of what I studied in my Aesthetics class last semester, but I have a feeling it's going to be more in depth. We actually have quite a few museum visits planned for the course, so it should be pretty cool. Next up: Lectures de la Bande Déssinée, aka Comic Books Class! I've been pretty excited for this one. Comic books in France and Belgium are pretty darn important. Plus the professor (who I also had last semester) is hilarious. It should be a great time. Finally, my first real class in a French university -- Christian theology and inter-religious dialogue. It's going to be tough, but it's a very interesting topic, so I'm not too scared. Anyway I've got Ellen in the class with me, so if anything it will be entertaining.

MARDI (tuesday) : The day of "Back in high school for a day!" This was a fun one. I woke up extra early, blew my nose for probably 10 minutes straight, got dressed, and headed to the Gare de l'Est train station to meet Mar and Jamila from NPNS. Tuesday is usually my full day in the office, but Mar called me the night before to see if I wanted to go with her to talk to a bunch of high school students instead. I obliged. So we took the train out to Chelles, another small-ish town outside Paris. We set up shop in a class room, then welcomed our first group of students. We gave them a 2-hour presentation of what NPNS is, what kind of work we do, why we do it, and what they can do to help stop violence against women and promote respect at their school. It went pretty well, and I actually enjoyed it. I was starting to feel a bit ill, though, and found myself blowing my nose about every 5 seconds. Not so great. Anyway. After the first presentation, we got to eat lunch in the cafeteria, amongst all the students. We had the option of eating in a special room with the teachers, but we declined. Gotta be with the people, you know. After lunch, we gave another presentation to another group of kids. Then we eventually made our way back to the station to hop a train back into Paris. By this time, I was thoroughly enjoying myself, but you wouldn't have known it if you looked at me. I was feeling pretty under the weather. Mar noticed, so she told me that if I was still feeling crappy wednesday afternoon, I could stay home instead of coming into the office. Once I was back home, I did some reading for class, then went right to bed.

MERCREDI (wednesday) : The day of brewing maladies. Not much to say here. I went to class despite my continued ailments, pockets stuffed with kleenex. And oh did I use those tissues. Faucet-nose is not one of my favorite feelings. After my Bande Déssinée class ended at 2, I was still feeling gross so I decided to take up Mar's offer of staying home for the afternoon. She sent me an email, though, asking if I could still do some work on a new project. She needs me to write up fact sheets about some of the tenets of NPNS. Since I wrote a huge paper last semester on Laïcité (secularism) in France, she asked me to start there. So I told her I'd work on it that night, then send it to her thursday morning. I spent the rest of the evening watching Seinfeld, working on the fact sheet, and sleeeeeeeping. There's nothing better when you're not feeling so hot. I still refused to take medication, though. I just drank some tea and let my body work everything out.

JEUDI (thursday) : The day of redemption. By the time I woke up on thursday, I felt muuuch better. I was still a bit congested, but I could actually focus on work. So I finished the Laïcité worksheet, sent it off to Mar, and grabbed some lunch. Ellen sent me a text telling me that I'd gotten a package at IES, and I needed to meet with the staff anyway, so I took the métro to the center. The package turned out to be the amazing Valentine's present from my mom (thanks again!). Next I just needed to talk to Marie in the IES library about fixing up my schedule. Apparently, the Institut Catholique decided to cancel my course on Judaism, so I needed to pick a new one to replace it. Unfortunately, Marie was nowhere to be found. So I just chilled in the computer lab for a while before heading back home. After dinner with the family, Ellen and I decided to hang out at the Louvre. We met there a little after 9:30, so the museum was closed, but we just wandered around the outside and admired the building itself. It was nice to just hang out and discuss whether or not the pyramid belonged there.

VENDREDI (friday... again) : The day of... not much. Now that I sit here trying to remember what I did on friday, I'm drawing a blank. I'm sure I did something during the day, but it's really not coming to me. It must not have been very exciting, I guess. Anyway, I ate dinner with the family, as usual, then afterward we all sat together in the dining room and watched Persepolis on the family computer. It's a movie based on the Bande Déssinée of the same name, written by Marjane Satrapi. It basically tells the story of her life -- growing up in Tehran, Iran, during the revolution; going to high school in Vienna, Austria; moving back to Tehran before finally settling in France. It was really cool, and I've been wanting to see it for a while now, so I was pretty happy. Also, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be studying the BD in my class later this semester. I guess a head start doesn't hurt.

SAMEDI (saturday... again) : The day of love. This was a fun one. I met up with Genna, Kamila, John, Emily, and Alex at the Jardin du Luxembourg (Luxembourg Gardens) for some wandering and chocolate-eating. It was a beautiful day, and I could think of nothing better than strolling through a park, making snide comments about statues, and eating Twix and Toblerone. Perfect. After the park, we made a stop at one of our favorite (read "cheap") bars in the area -- the Gentleman. It was pretty packed, and the TVs were all playing the France - Scotland rugby match. I'm sure this is something important, but as I don't follow the sport, I'll have to fill you in later. I'll ask Jillian. Anyway, after a couple drinks, we headed over to Kamila's place to make some dinner. We originally planned on having shrimp alfredo, but we couldn't find any suitable frozen sea creatures. So we settled on veggies -- a nice alternative. Next, the girls were all planning on heading to what I think was supposed to be a "girls night" at Brittany's (another DePaul student) apartment, but John, Alex, and I decided to tag along anyway. And it was great. Very classy.

DIMANCHE (sunday... again) : The day of... well, today. I haven't done much, as I usually just chill on sundays, but I did make the trip up to Montmartre. I spent most of the afternoon up at the Sacré Coeur Basilica. After chilling and reading for a while outside on the steps, just looking at the city stretched out in front of me in the sunshine, I went inside the basilica for a vespers service. Very nice. And full of nuns, which I love. And it was surprisingly exciting. They have a "no photo" policy, so every five minutes or so, a worker has to reprimand someone sitting in the pews, or walking around the aisles, for snapping illegal pictures. I even saw one guy get chased outside by a worker trying to take his camera. Hilarious. Other than that, I've just got homework, dinner, and sleep on the schedule for the evening.

Well, that was exhausting. And probably really boring to read. Seriously, if you've made it this far without falling asleep or forgetting your name, I salute you. If I could give you a high five, I would. Seriously.

Happy Travels

-- Cody

NEWS FLASH!!

THIS JUST IN : I have the best mom ever!

Thats right. Hershey kisses, candy hearts, Pop Tarts, chocolate hearts, HOME MADE COOKIES, and Spider-Man valentines. Does it get any better than that? I love care packages.

IN OTHER NEWS : Frequency of stomach aches expected to rise dramatically in the next few days.

i work with these people...

so this last week has been pretty wild --  a conference, new classes, a bout with an unknown sickness, IES drama, high school cafeteria lunch. i'll fill you in soon, probably later today or tomorrow morning at the latest. i've got some unexpected time on my hands...

i just wanted to drop a quick link to the awesome new Ni Putes Ni Soumises website (in case you forgot, NPNS is the association for which i do my internship). since their site is totally in French, i'll go ahead and remind you that NPNS is an non-governmental organization working to stop violence against women, promoting equality, and educating people on what "respect" really means. anyway, the new site looks great. even if you can't read it, check it out! (and click around a little -- the pictures change!)

Great Work!!

[5 février 2009]

not the best way to start the semester :

Even though my classes don't start until monday, I returned to my internship at Ni Putes Ni Soumises this week. After spending all last semester planning trips around my fridays at NPNS, I decided early on that I would avoid that at all costs this spring. So I shifted my class schedule around, letting me place my full day at the office on tuesdays, with my half day on wednesdays. Perfect. So I went into the NPNS office early tuesday morning, eager to ring in the new semester with a day full of translating and fact-finding. After making the customary trip to greet everyone with a Bonjour, I sat down with Mar to get my assignment for the day.

She told me she had an important project for me to work on dealing with a governmental program called Espoir Banlieues, which could be translated as "Hope for the Suburbs". It is a set of programs spearheaded by Fadela Amara (the Secretary of State for Urban Policies / founder and former president of NPNS) intended to de-ghettoize Paris' suburbs, using some pretty lofty and sometimes controversial tactics. My job was to read several articles, research the program's website, find comparisons to similar programs in the US and abroad, critique it from the NPNS viewpoint, and create a report to sum it all up. This report was to then be distributed to the rest of the team in the office. That's a lot on my plate, non?

So I got to work on the summary, wondering how long it would take me to do all that. After a quick lunch, I joined Mar in the conference room. A group of university students from Delaware had asked to stop by during the last week of their month in Paris. They had been studying women's rights and other social issues in France, so a visit to NPNS was definitely in order. I helped Mar out during her presentation, since she isn't used to speaking in front of large crowds in English. I had a pretty good time, and took the opportunity to schmooze a bit with some fellow Americans. After this, I sat back down to work on my project some more before I went home for the day.

A few minutes before 6, I started packing up my things and congratulating myself in my head for a successful first day back. But I spoke (to myself) too soon, because Mar then asked me, "Are you leaving." I said yes. "Well, are you finished with the summary?" I said no. "You know that was supposed to be done today, right?" I had no idea. Apparently Mar had explained all this earlier that morning, but I hadn't understood, either because my ears aren't quite fluent or because I was a little taken aback by the sheer amount of time and work it would take to finish it. Well, there wasn't much I could do, so I apologized and told her I'd work on it a bit that night and finish it the next day. Then I left the office, feeling pretty crappy about all of it.

The night wasn't totally ruined, though, because I met up with my host mom and her friend right after I left work to go to a special presentation at the Music Conservatory. It was a kind of master class on ethnomusicology, but open to the public. The guest speaker came to talk about Mongolian and Tibetan monks and their specific style of chanting. Sounds boring? It wasn't, because these monks use a technique where they can produce two notes at the same time -- using only their voice. It's called diaphonic singing, and it's pretty awesome. Unfortunately, I still have not mastered the art. But I'm not giving up any time soon.

Anyway, back to the NPNS saga... I got up wednesday morning, got dressed, did some reading on Espoir Banlieues, and went to grab lunch. Since I had been coming into the office at 3pm for my half days all last semester, I assumed it would be the same this spring. But yet again, I was wrong. Around 2:30, I got a call from Mar asking where I was. She said I was supposed to be there at 2. I told her I was on my way. Once I got to the office, I explained my confusion, which she wasn't too angry about, but she still seemed put off about something. She explained that due to my deadline-mixup the day before, pretty much the whole office was hounding her all day for the report. See, she wanted it tuesday night so she could look it over and send it to everyone wednesday morning. Now it was wednesday afternoon and there was still no report. 

Understanding the gravity of the situation, I split up the remaining work with Mar and got cranking. We finished it in about an hour, then she sent it off to the coworkers. What a relief. And it was actually a pretty interesting little project. While doing research, I found out that one of the more controversial aspects of Espoir Banlieues is the fact that they want to use busing to help increase diversity and success among suburban schools. I don't know if you recall, but we tried using busing in the US to do accomplish a similar goal. And it FAILED miserably. So heaven knows why Fadela and Sarkozy want to try it out over here...

With that out of the way, I finished my half day at work writing up my weekly press review, in which I find news articles from around the world dealing with women's rights and send summaries to all my coworkers. Piece of cake. I got that done, said goodnight to everyone and headed home, feeling much better about my second day than my first. Buuuut, that feeling didn't last long. As soon as I got home, I received an email from Karim, the web guy at NPNS. I had attached the wrong file to the email I sent to the entire office, so no one actually got my press review. Instead they got a useless .dat file. So not only does everyone know it was my fault that the project summary was way late, now they all think I don't know how to operate Microsoft Word.

Great work, Cody.

Well, that's the conclusion of the tale of my terrible beginning to spring semester. In other news, I saw "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (aka Forrest Gump 2) today with Genna. Man was it long, but I actually liked it quite a bit. Also, I'm going to a conference with NPNS tomorrow that's all about Espoir Banlieues. This conference is the entire reason I had to write up the report in the first place. We want to have ammunition for the question and answer session with Fadela. Things should get interesting. And it's being held in Dreux, one of the suburbs. I say any chance to visit the ghettos is a chance I'm willing to take.

Happy Travels

-- Cody

presidential snowball

[31 janvier 2009] <--(i'm doing this because blogger keeps screwing up the dates of my posts...)

don't have much to say right now. lately, i've just been hanging with the IES newbies, showing them around the city, eating food, watching dexter. you know the drill. but my friend elizabeth is in town (she went to depaul with me for a year or two, now goes to school back home in ohio, but is currently studying in bordeaux. and she has a blog), so i'm hoping to spend some time with her while she's around. oh, and you know how i thought classes were starting next week? i was wrong. they don't start until feb 9th. so i have another week to just "be" in paris. which is pretty awesome. it's the neverending winter break. and speaking of breaks: ellen and i are currently planning what could possibly be the single most catholic spring break of all time. i'll keep you posted.

until next time, here's president obama having fun in the snow. enjoy:

superpoop.com

flying under the radar

What's that you say? Cody has disappeared for over a month? Why, that's absurd! Why would he do such a thing? Yeah, sorry about that. I suppose I've gotten lazy. Or maybe my initiative has totally run dry. Either way, I guess I've treated this long break from school as an equally long vacation from the ol' blog. But fret not, I'm here. And we've got some catching up to do.

In the interest of saving time and space (and unnecessary work, I suppose), I'm going to do something here that I normally wouldn't dare: I'm going to cheat. You see, I was about to bore you with a bunch of long-winded posts about my amazing trip with Will to Italy and Ireland, but then I remembered that he already did the work for me, on his own blog. Ah hah! So now I present to you, in his own words, Travels with Liam:

Day 1 -- Roma

Day 2 -- Roma

Day 3 -- From Roma to Galway

Day 4 -- Galway and Dublin

Day 5 -- Dublin

Ok, now that that's out of the way, on to the rest of my winter break thus far:

As you may have guessed from my last post, I spent a good part of Christmas day alone and bored. My host family took off early Christmas Eve for Bretagne, leaving me high and dry in Paris. I did have a nice holiday dinner with friends, though. The parents of three of my friends here all flew into town to celebrate Noël, and they invited me to share an excellent meal with them. It wasn't the same spending Christmas without my family, but my friends made me feel welcome and kept my mind and stomach occupied. We even had home-made mulled wine, which was delicious.

My dad arrived the next day after a long flight from Kansas City, including layovers in Atlanta and Dublin. After waiting over an hour at the baggage claim of Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport, Dad was informed by the Air France staff that his luggage couldn't be accounted for. They had records of his belongings up until Dublin airport, where they apparently disappeared somewhere in the ether. Rightfully annoyed, Dad joined me in the airport lobby, where we proceeded to procure a taxi and make our way into the city.

The rest of Dad's visit was excellent. We managed to finagle our way into a cheap hotel near the Bastille for the entire length of his trip. This required several room changes, but at least we were able to stay in the same building. With Dad (the Paris newbie) at my side, I made like a tour guide, trying to give him a taste of what life is really like in the City of Lights.

Highlights from the visit include : A) Getting an incredible view of the city from the dome of Sacre-Coeur Basilica. B) Waiting over an hour in line for the catacombs, having awkward conversations with American tourists, getting the door of said catacombs shut in our faces because we were late, returning to said catacombs the next day, making new friends in line, and finally seeing the bones. C) Searching high and low for used bikes at the Marché aux Puces (Flea Market). D) Narrowly escaping angry mobs, and as a result, finally getting a chance to taste tear gas in the Métro. E) Eating. F) Eating. G) Spending quality time bonding with my dear father. H) Eating.

Since the trip, I've basically been flying under the radar. I switched back from "American Tourist! Yeah! OMG it's Paris!!!1!" mode to "Incognito, Laid-Back Resident of Paris" mode. Despite earlier plans to meet friends in Berlin or Bordeaux, I haven't left the city. Which is nice, because I've gotten a wonderful opportunity to explore the world of subtitled cinema. I think I've been to the movies at least 5 or 6 (or 7 or 8) times this month -- a few of those screenings were part of a 3-euro "Best Films of 2008" deal the UGC chain had going on. I've also fallen prey to the dangerous world of Dexter (a Showtime series about a Miami Police blood spatter specialist who moonlights as a serial killer -- let me know if you want to chat about it). It's actually based on a series of novels by Jeff Lindsay. Luckily, Caroline gave me copies of the first two books (in French) before she left for Rhode Island last month. So even if I run out of new episodes to watch, I can still continue dreaming darkly with the books.

I should also note that a few BIG things have happened recently :

Hope, etc. -- "Change has come to America." Barack Obama. You may have heard of him?

Coupe -- After nearly five months and several inches of beautiful flowing locks, I finally decided to get a haircut. I also figured out that my beard trimmer is not, in fact, broken. So I now come in "Well-groomed" mode as well.

Bienvenue -- The new arrivals got in yesterday, so IES has been restored to the hub of activity it was during fall semester. Among the huge group of spring students is a gaggle of DePaul girls. With this kind of representation, we are poised to take over the city with Vincentian Values and Socially Responsible Leadership. (Also, Laura brought me an awesome beanie embroidered with the word "Detroit". Gotta represent the Ghetto D.)

Aaaaand I think that's it for now. I'm sure there's a lot more I could be writing about (the pros and cons of French cinema snack bars, for example), but I've got plenty of time for that in the coming months. Speaking of which, I've got less than 4 months left before I make the trip back home. So it seems as though I'm on the downward slope. Kind of scary. But class and work are about to kick back into gear, so I'm just going to focus on that for now...

Happy Travels

-- Cody

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