this past weekend was VERY busy.

we were studying Romanesque and Greco-Roman Paris on Friday. We stated at the OLDEST church in Paris. It was right next to Notre Dame. Notre Dame DWARFED this church in size and ornateness. It was a very simple but beautiful church. They still hold services there. I would love to go back on a Sunday for a service. I wouldn’t understand a word they were saying but it would still be be a great experience.

After the church we walked to the Louvre. On the way there we saw a production of a movie. I do not know the name of the movie but we found out that its Russian director and its about a couple during WWII. They were filming on the Seine.  I did not recognize any of the actors. But ill make sure to keep my eye out for a period movie set in Paris during the second world war!

The Louvre was AWESOME! its so big though! I have to go back when I have more time to discover.

we spent a really long time at Venus de Milo. I really find this art interesting because of my Freedom in Rome class from last semester. I could have spent HOURS just in that one wing.

I had to leave the Louvre early to get to my cinema class. I was a little disappointed to take this class at first. I didn’t want to spend my time in Paris watching movies while I could be experiencing Paris for myself. But the class actually turned out to be really interesting.

We watched “The Beat that my Hear Skipped” its about a French gangster who’s really interest is becoming a concert pianist. If it is available in the US, you should rent it!

last night we went to the Eiffel Tower! It was SO BIG! I couldn’t believe I was on the top of the eiffel tower in Paris! for some reason the fact that I am in Paris isn’t sinking in yet. It happens in the smaller moments of the day.

There were so many gypsies at the bottom of the eiffel tower. They were trying to sell little souveniers for one euro. But all of a sudden they all sprinted out of sight. One of our directors told us that they were running from the cops.

One gypsy came up to me while I was eating some french fries and handed me a note. It said she was from Bosnia, had three children and that her husband had left her for another woman. I was unsure of what to do so i offered her some french fries. She declined my gesture and walked off. After that encounter my friend said to just ignore them or tell them no and they will leave you alone. Im pretty guliable though. I really thought she was needy. silly gypsies.

We walked down to the lawns in front of the tower hung out for a little bit. There were a ton of people picnics on the lawn. I think we are going to go back and have a picnic for one of the girls birthdays next week. We had a really hard time trying to figure out how to do one of those jumping pictures in front of the eiffel tower so we just took pictures jumping. It definitely does not have the same effect.

After we left we walked around the arrondissement that the eiffel tower is in. We had dinner and then headed back to our neighborhood.

We stopped by what we have come to call our “neighborhood bar”. We have made friends with the owner and his friends. They are really interesting. One of his friends does makeup for Armani at a department store. He invited us to come see him at work. We were going to go today but we got busy with other things. We might go meet him next week. He was really funny. Very flamboyant.

Today I am going to go get a 15-25 card. they are discount cards for the SNCF, france’s train system. and then we might go shopping.

I have seen Angel EVERYWHERE! westie’s are very popular dogs here. Like mostly everything else, the dogs in america are much cleaner than the dogs in france.

BO is becoming a very accepted smell to me. Everyone in France has STINKY BO and they are ok with it.

t’aime,

alyse

Our first day of class was at the Musee du Moyen Age in the Latin Quarter of Paris. The museum was a gothic townhouse of the abbots of Cluny…. I have no idea what that means either.

The main feature of the museum was a set of five tapestries from medieval Paris. The tapestries were used to insulate the cold castles as well as a means to communicate with the illiterate since the only people who could read or write back then were royalty and clergy.

There tapestries were so detailed and ornate as well as very mysterious. There is not much known about their origin.

There were also MANY other pieces of art from medieval Paris.

A lot of the art was of the Virgin Mary and an infant. ALL of the art had very strong Christian themes. This one was BY FAR the chubbiest of the sculptures.

This is a comb used during that time

I just finished a class at OU called Freedom in Rome in which we studied the rise and fall of the Roman Empire so I was espeicially excited to see the ruins of the Roman baths but unfortunately they were closed for restoration. My teacher did reassure me that we would see some Roman baths.

These were the heads of statues that had been beheaded. I can not remember why the people decided to be head these particular statues. I think it has something to do with the fear that they might be kings? I definetly zone out while my teacher was explaining the significance of these statues. The restored replicas of these head are in Notre Dame which I will see next Friday and I’ll be sure to remember why they were beheaded

Alyse Marie › Edit — WordPress

But don’t worry, even amongst all of this culture and refinement in Paris, I’m still reminded of my roots often.

although i have wireless internet in my room it is very slow and very difficult to upload any of my photos. I have PLENTY of pictures of my neighborhood, room and a few of france.

Last night I met up with Claire and a few of her friends for dinner in central Paris. It was really nice to see a familiar face so far away from home. She and her friends were in town to go to Euro Disney then head to Italy for a small vacation.

This morning we had a mandatory orientation meeting at the Le Catho, Le Institute de Catholique, at 8:45 a.m. It is DIRECTLY across from Luxembourg park. Because I didn’t have any way of communicating with anyone else in my group, I journeyed up to the meeting all by myself this morning. I really underestimated my travel time and also did not allow myself to get lost…. which I did.

I walked up and down the streets of the 6th ( the sections, or neighborhoods, or area codes in Paris) for a while until I asked a newstand, “Parle-vous anglais?” he mumbled and I haneded him my map. He said to go straight for three streets and then cross. After following his directions for a few streets I started to second guess his advice, “that stupid newsstand guy…. he gave me the wrong directions because I was an american” I thought. So I turned around and headed in the other direction until I was so lost I was just walking until I found a street that I could see on my map. I was almost there when I stopped and asked a parking garage attendant for directions. He barely spoke english but got me on my way… The newsstand attendant HAD, in fact, given me accurate directions. silly me!

I arrived at le Catho at 9:30 and asked the front office where my group was but they did not speak a lick of english so they showed me to the international student office. The secretaries in that office also could not speak english (a little ironic to me), but were adamant on helping me find my group. Finally, out of the corner of my eye i saw what I thought was one of our directors leading some students into a classroom. As soon as I could politely excuse myself from their help I bolted after the director. But as I ran down the hallway they were no where to be seen. I finally gave up and called the cell phone of the other director who came and found me by the biblioteque.

The orientation is something to forget but afterwards we had lunch in the school cafeteria, I had tomato and mozzarella sandwich but could barely eat 1/4 of it…. it did come from a school cafeteria. but other than the sandwich from school, all of the food as been VERY tasty.

After the meeting, Ashley from New Jersey and Marissa from Minnesota, and I went walking around the aread near our school. We walked Rue de Vaugirard that runs along Luxembourg park to find a place to exchange USD to euros.

The exchanger was right across the street from the pantheon. We were going to take a tour of it until we realized it cost money and that we could go for free in one of our classes.

As we were walking back to the RER to get home, we had our first glimpse of the Eiffel tower! It was my first ” AHHH!” moment in Paris. We could only see the very top of it, but it was still a reminder that I was in PARIS!

We stopped and had some gelato and looked at some postcards until it started pouring down rain on us so we headed back to the dorms. It has been pretty cold and rainy here so far. Last night as I was checking my email before i went to bed, I saw the Oklahoma weather on my homepage, It was 91 degrees in Norman. that was the first time I have ever missed those hot humid summer nights in Oklahoma.

For dinner we went up to the Latin Quarter, just north of the Seine. The second and biggest “AH” moment was when I walked out of the metro station and saw the Seine River! It looked exactly like I imagined it! I couldn’t believe it!

After wondering around the latin quarter for a while looking for a restaurant. We ate at some generic restaurant after our hopes of eating at a nicer place were dashed when we were blatantly discriminated against because we were american students. A waiter with one of those stereotypical curly french mustaches told us it would be a 25 minute wait for a table of three when there were obviously tables available. That place was too stiff for us anyway.

The place we ended up eating at was ok. The food was average but the service was great. They were so helpful and nice all through out our meal and especially nice to one of the girls who got ill during dinner (not because of the meal. She had been sick earlier in the morning and was still feeling a little jet lagged).

The last trains stop at 12:30, we were out of the restaurant by 12:25 and hustling to the nearest RER stop. Everyone at the station was scrounging around for a few extra euros to get a ticket back home. We were given 30 cents and in turn we gave the guys behind us our extra change.

So far, I have never once felt unsafe in Paris.

There really is a misconception of French people here. I have only encountered one rude waiter so far and even he started to warm up to us at the end. Its true that if you at least TRY to speak a little French they are much more willing to help, and not just willing but more than happy to help. The only times I have ever received the cold shoulder is when I stumbled through ENGLISH trying to ask a question.

I do not have class tomorrow so I think I am going to rent one of the bikes from the side walks and bike ride through my neighborhood until everyone else gets out of class.

We are planning on taking the night train to Barcelona this weekend and spending a day at the beach. and then next weekend I am meeting my friend Kenneth from Norman in Amsterdam.

bonne nuit mes amis!!

I departed OKC yesterday around noon and arrived in Paris a little after 7 AM this morning, Paris time. My first leg of the trip was a 2 and half hour flight to Dulles International Airport in DC. I sat next to a girl who was returning home to Belgium after spending a year abroad in SEMINOLE, OKLAHOMA. She had already graduated high school in Belgium but chose to redo her senior year in the United States. I love oklahoma, its my home, but coming all the way to America to spend 9 months in Seminole….? A lot less glamorous than spending a summer in europe.

although Annelise, the Belgium girl, was understandably upset about her placement in oklahoma while the rest of her friends were studying in major metropolitan cities like Philadelphia, she was extremely gracious and had only positive things to say about the people in Seminole and Oklahoma in general.

However, we did end up having a pretty humorous conversation about fat americans and american television. we both agreed on the absurdity of Law and Order. Really, HOW MANY spin offs can you have of the SAME SHOW. and how can people be so enthralled with every single one of them??

she also had plenty of cracks at the fast food industry as well as the abundance of drive-throughs EVERYTHING is a drive-through. lazy americans.

She also gave me some tips for things to do in Paris and if I make up to Belgium come cities I need to see as well and a famous musical festival, Rock Werchter. Don’t even try to pronounce that, I guarantee you will get it wrong. It sounds NOTHING like it spelled. I found it really interesting that Metallica is one of Belgium’s favorite bands….. when most bands, like radiohead, only get up to 45 minutes to play at this festival, metallica gets 2 hours or more. I may be wrong, but is metallica worth 2 hours of my attention?

The flight from D.C. to Paris was far less interesting. I spoke only a few words to the person sitting next to me and it was mostly her asking me to get out of her way so she could go to the bathroom. She was a lot less approachable than my beligum friend so I kept to myself.

I met a few people in my group in the airport and took a shuttle to our dorms at the University of Paris. The building was opened in 1930 for American students. Like all the buildings in Paris, its full of charm and character. My room reminds me of a dorm room you might see in film about a student in Paris….. maybe, If i really use my imagination. It is charming though. My room is facing this huge park across the street. I am not sure what the name of it is but it reminds me of Central Park quite a bit.

After lunch and our first experience with a rude French waiter, we walked through the garden for a few minutes until we all started to feel the exhaustion from traveling and jet lag, of course. I am trying my hardest to not take a nap but my little twin size bed looks very appealing right now.

When we returned to the dorms I unpacked and set up my room then I took another walk through the park. I ended up in a neighborhood on the other side of the park. I went into a store and bought some bottled water while trying to blend in as a native, or at least NOT an American. I think as soon as i opened my mouth to say bonjour my cover was blown!

Now I am in my room more tired now than ever. Wes and Alison just tried to call me but I could barely hear them. they need to get Skype. I know wes and alison are reading this. So get it! its free and really easy!

Oh i also got greedy with a baguette and gave myself a sour belly. the bread was just so warm and flaky and buttery. I nearly ate all of it. thank goodness it fell out of my bag or else I might gobbled up the WHOLE THING!

Just watching this makes me nervous…

My brother did an awesome video for the engagement party I threw for my friends Andrew and Annie.

Love this Band!

CHROMEO - Fancy Footwork

This is an article that I wrote for FN Mag