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Last Day in Paris

After a hectic move-out, in which I left the Fondation Des Etats Unis at 8:00am but due to traffic and a fussy, rich old woman from Virginia, my shuttle didn’t get me to the airport until 10:15am. The flight was at 11:05 am.

So after jumping the entire security line and passport check, I am not successfully seated on the plane on my way back to the United States for the first time after being abroad for six months.

How do I feel at this moment in time? I suppose I feel profoundly sad, but completely satisfied at the same time. I suppose much like a writer after completing a book he or she has been writing for a period of time. Sad that it’s over, but proud of the journey.

As I filled out the customs declaration form, I felt a tinge of pride as I listed “all countries visited prior to this US arrival.” My travels spilled over the two lines provided, and as I wrote down each one, I had one of those cliché-flashback-slideshow montages you see in films when the character is reflecting over his life or love or whatever. I remembered and felt each and every trip in a matter of milliseconds.

And of course there was Paris. Paris in winter with my crazy host grandmother and a freezing climated I hadn’t felt since leaving Canada when I was seven-years-old. But it was full of exploring with friends, awkwardness as I stumbled in social situations in French, the creamiest, richest, most flavorful cheeses and wines, pastries so beautiful you want to appreciate them for a second before digging in (but only a second), and of course self-discovery and fun. I took a side-trip to Strasbourg and stayed with my friend Emma’s godparents’ family. We ate tarte flambée and visited the modern museum of art. Then another trip to Berlin to visit Ole, celebrate Emma’s birthday, and learn a tad bit of German (ich will essen die menschen). Then the end of the quarter came upon us so fast and without much sun, and it was time to go on our long-awaited spring break trip.

Spain and Morocco with an ideal traveling group – Mark, Harley, Andre, Michael, Emma, Ana, Lucia, and Wyatt. In Madrid, we met up with Michael, who had planned to study abroad there for Spring quarter. There, we encountered a melodramatic, hostile hostel woman who shushed us for whispering in our rooms. We visited the major art museums, had tapas, and Harley, Mark, and Andre just had to go to Taco Bell (even though it was an hour out of their way). Then we met up with Emma in Barcelona. Barcelona brought on sun, an accidental venture into a grunge-striptease club, and lots of good food. And then Morocco where we stayed in Riad hostels and met new friends, experienced the bustle of the medina in Marrakech, camped in the desert with camels and berbers, and visited the cute coastal town of Essaouira and giant industrial city Casablanca.

And suddenly, it was Spring quarter! New home, new Stanford group, and in a way, new Paris. Spring brought on…not nicer weather, but less brutal weather. Nevertheless, we did picnics, spoke more French (contests were involved), and took lots of trips: Avignon, Stockholm, Amsterdam, and Brussels. Drinking, clubbing, adventuring, all of the above were part of our day to day lives…as students? As young adults in Paris? As Americans in Paris?

And now I’m here on this plane. The seemed to go by just as fast as reading the above.

Amsterdam

I can't believe a place like this actually exists. Also, I can't believe our luck. The weather was PERFECT. Sunny and warm, we walked all over Amsterdam getting lost and disoriented between canals, but quite happy with the experience.

Highlights included:
1. The Canals. While this thoroughly contributed to my disorientation (a map was not helpful), it also added a slightly Venetian aspect to Amsterdam. Without the smell, filth, and ridiculous crowding of tourists (well at least in most parts).
2. The Van Gogh Museum. I always knew there was something special about Van Gogh. The fact that a picture or postcard of one of his paintings just can't evoke the same raw emotion or sentiment that seeing his actual painting does may have something to do with it. For this reason, I refuse to put up any images of his work because it just cannot do an ounce of justice to what this man created. On a different note, I really liked the architecture and layout of the museum in general. There were so many people there since it was Saturday afternoon, but it didn't feel nearly as crowded as the Musée d'Orsay, for example. The curation was also done so well. The museum centered around Van Gogh obviously, but his influences were also displayed and sometimes in conjunction with one of his paintings. For example, he replicated one of Millet's paintings from the Realist era and both works were displayed side by side.
3. This amazing shoe store and T-shirt shop. I wanted one of these pairs of shoes so badly, but sadly they were out of my price range. I did end up getting a pretty cool sweater from this small T-shirt shop that screen-printed right then and there.
4. Red Light District. Again, how does this place exist? Prostitution is legitimised in Amsterdam and while I'm not sure how I feel about prostitution in general, I think it's pretty amazing that they have been able to institutionalise a practice historically-frowned upon as a vice.

5. FEBO. Didn't think fast food could get any faster, didja? Well, welcome to FEBO -- vending machine fast food joint extraordinaire where you put in a coin, and a burger comes out!

Stockholm

The original plan was to go to Denmark because so many psychology studies and public health articles cite Denmark as THE example of good health practices. For example, Healthy Eating Magazine a couple years ago wrote a short article about how public health in Denmark has facilitated a reduction in obesity by making the city more walkable by making sidewalks available everywhere.

BUT I'M SO GLAD WE WENT TO STOCKHOLM INSTEAD! Tickets were much cheaper since RyanAir had a 50 Euro round trip deal, and little did we know at the time of booking that this quarter, we were going to be friends with none other than a fantastic Sweden named John (pronounced Yon).

John, who we affectionately call "Sweden," made a fantastic guide for us full of restaurants, sites to see, shopping, and nightlife. It was amazing -- addresses, metro stops, and general comments written in his adorable swedishified english vernacular came attached with every single suggestion. So thank you, Sweden (the person), for we would've surely not have had such a great time without your guide.

We stayed on the Red Boat Hotel for two nights, which was so very cute. I did not get seasick, which was surprising, and actually quite enjoyed the gentle rocking of the boat. It was docked in a great location -- right near Slussen, which had wonderful restaurants and bars, and walking distance from Gamla Stan, the quaint (albeit touristy) area and Ostermalmstorg, where we did most of our shopping.

Highlights of the trip included:

1. Shopping at Beyond Retro, this huge, kitsch vintage shop that actually had all american stuff, Weekday, where it seems every Swede gets their clothes, and H&M of course.

2. Eating Swedish food at Pelikan, an old pub that was most likely established in the 1660's.

3. Walking around Djurgården : an island and a park. Also: the fact that Stockholm is 14 islands and that we were surrounded by beautiful water always.

4. Strömmingsburgare! a.k.a. Herring Burgers from the Herring/Strömming Wagon!

5. Day all day. It was around that season where the sun shines most of the day, doesn't ever get pitch black dark and starts getting lighter around 2:30am! The picture I took of the water at night is already past midnight and you can still see blue in the sky!

I just fell in love with the general culture of this place. Perhaps it's only because it was one of the first sunny days in a while (I can't imagine being there during winter), but everyone was wearing color. Red pants were just as ubiquitous as denim jeans. People were also so friendly and willing to speak english to us.

Suffice to say, we love Sweden (both place and person).

Avignon

When friends tell you they have chateaus in the French countryside that you are welcome to stay at, they're not usually serious. But our friend, Maxine Litre was. We got to stay at her family's beautiful house in Les Imberts near Gordes, about 30 minutes outside of Avignon.

The weekend was grey and warm, with patches of sun that came every now and then, and we vastly enjoyed being able to bike all around this quaint little town. The house itself was just amazing. Five bedrooms, a beautiful kitchen, and gigantic living room/dining room. It was in perfect condition. Speakers everywhere for good music listening, and faster wifi than here at the fondation in Paris! Gordes was a 6 km bike ride away, so we took some bread and cheese and picnicked while overlooking this beautiful village that looked as if it had been carved out of the mountain.

The chateau is actually available for vacation rental when the Litre's are not using it. Click here for more info: http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p257513

Paris in Spring

I unfortunately haven't many photos of Paris in the springtime, but hopefully these will suffice.

So a couple of things:

1. I'm out of a homestay and into an international dorm called La Fondation des Etats Unis or as we fondly (ha pun) call it: "the fond." It's easier to get around in Paris since I don't live in the boonies anymore, and I'm actually speaking French MORE here than I did with my homestay last quarter. The people here are fantastic and I knew that I would enjoy living with students again much more than a Parisian family.

2. I'm also able to cook a lot. I have an internship every Monday and Wednesday with a 2 hour lunch break in between, so I just walk home and cook! Lots of dinner parties and fun times have been had. Fondue, salmon en papillote, pasta carbonara, etc. --Especially since this new Spring quarter group includes so many of my good friends already as well as some really fantastic new ones!

3. I love friends. This may seem pompous, but I also really love Stanford friends because we could be tanning in the park but having a conversation about gender norms or equally be engaged in a conversation about the comical hangover blues.

4. Weather is much better, but not as great as I had hoped/expected. It's been rainy and grey and cold a lot of the time with a couple of days here and there of glorious sun and warmth.

5. I'm enjoying academic life a lot more this quarter, too. My internship has provided so many opportunities for me to connect with NGO's, non-profit orgs, governmental debates, etc. I feel like I'm getting a pretty good sense of what I may want to do with my life as well as the complexities of the issues at hand. The visiting professor, Julie Parsonnet is teaching a class on the history of epidemics. It's super interdisciplinary and engaging! We even get to watch movies at her apartment every week that have to do with the disease we are studying!

So yay for Spring quarter! It's strange knowing that I'm leaving in less than a month because I can't imagine leaving Paris, but there's also a part of me that is extremely excited for a summer back in San Francisco :)

Casablanca

Casablanca was my least favorite of the places we visited in Marrakech. It was extremely smoggy, overcast, and industrial. It reminded me of Los Angeles, actually. It was also the least progressive in terms of how women were treated. Most bars were still male-only, and if you weren't accompanied by a male companion, you often were not even given service at some cafes.
That being said, the old French colonial architecture mixed in with the medinas and markets was very interesting, and the Hassan II Mosque was gigantic and beautiful (3rd largest in the world apparently). We also had the pleasure of dining on some fantastic seafood.

All in all, Morocco was everything I had hoped for and more. Adventures in warm weather in a very different place than I'm used to with great traveling company!