Home Away from Home (Away from Home)

I had a breakthrough moment on Friday when my host mother pointed out that I seemed to have adapted perfectly to life in her household.  This was a big compliment for me, and I think it was largely a reflection of truth. I tend to adapt relatively quickly to feeling at home no matter where I go.  This is a HUGE blessing and a testament to my friends and family, who have always made sure that I know that they are always just a phone call, skype call, or facebook message away if I need them, no matter where I go.  It is because I have such a great support network behind me that I have been able to go forward. (This is the part where all of you reading this can pat yourselves on the back).  

I have said since I have been in school that Tufts is my 'home away from home' and it truly feels like that - I am equally comfortable in both places. This poses an interesting dilemma, though, because now that I am settling in to life in Paris, I am starting to feel at home here too.  I'll say for now that it feels like a 'home away from home away from home,' but I'm looking for a better  word, mostly because that sounds way too repetitive, but also because 'away' grabs your attention almost as much as 'home' does, and that is not quite right, because feelings of 'home' are far more frequent for me these days than feelings of foreign-ness.  (okay so this is not the best post for vocabulary)

I am definitely starting to feel at home here, and my daily life has settled more or less into a routine, sometimes I will see a skyline or even just a store front and once again be awestruck by the simple fact that I am really here!! While I do hope that more and more feels comfortable to me, I hope that the feeling of amazement at my surroundings doesn't fade.  It reminds me to be thankful for every day, and not to waste a second! I also got another reminder today when I glanced at my watch and saw the date, 9/25, and realized that I have been here for exactly one month today. Time has FLOWN! Still, one month down means only three more left and, like I said last post, there is SO much to do!!! 

This week was the start of my classes (half of them anyway), but I still found plenty of time to amuse myself, explore Paris, and continue getting to know my host mother better! In fact, even my classes helped me do that, as one of them actually meets in the Louvre! I never saw myself as someone to sit down on the floor of a world-famous art museum and describe a middle age painting out-loud for a group, but I did! Our teacher said that, by the end of the course, most students truly feel connected to the museum, or at least one piece of art.  I must say, I expected to eventually feel at home in my family, even with the city, but never in a million years did I imagine that by the end of the semester I would feel perfectly at home inside the Louvre of all places! While I do not have any photos of that event, I did take LOTS of pictures of other things I did this week. Hope you enjoy them! 

So those of you who know me know that I like to have a plan.  Well, given that there is so much to do in so little time in Paris, I made a list of all the things I want to do (which keeps growing) and then I wrote down where those things are.  Then, I started grouping them together by what was feasible to do in the same day.  The above photo was the first stop on my my first master plan.  (Thanks to Adrian and Craig for executing the plan with me!) It was great fun, but also tiring! This is the Jardin du Luxembourg, where we ate our picnic (it was perfect weather)! In the background is the Grand Panthéon, which is based off of the architecture of the Roman one. 

The next stop was the Église de la Madeleine, a church built in Neo-classical style and dedicated to Mary Magdalene.   

Fun Fact # 5: Despite being started in 1757, L'Église de la Madeleine was not consecrated as a church until 1842.  

After touring the inside of the church, we stepped out to the Place de La Madeleine, where we visited Fauchon, a chocolate shop that smelled so good I almost drooled upon entering it. Even their window display looks elaborate!  

Next stop after that was Place de La Concorde, where we were more or less (read less) successful at interpreting the hieroglyphics on the Obelisk that Napoleon brought to France from Egypt.  This is the famous location of the guillotine that killed Louis XIV, but now it is just a large, very busy intersection with an obelisk in the middle of it.

The Champs-Elysées, named for the Elysian Fields where good souls went in Greek mythology, leads from Place de La Concorde to L'Arc de Triomphe, and it is supposed to be the prettiest avenue in France (and so the French say it is the prettiest avenue in the world).  We had some cloud cover as we walked just over a mile from one end to the other, but it was beautiful nonetheless. 

We stopped along the way at Ladurée to get some of their famous macaroons! I tried the green apple, the raspberry, and chocolate and all were delicious! It is quite an impressive shop!

Finally, we ended up at the Arc de Triomphe! 

Which we climbed to get views like this one of the city! Astounding. 

The next day, rather than building a master plan, I decided to wander before my class started (I didn't have class until the afternoon).  I found myself in Parc Monceau, an english style park.  English style parks are less symmetrical and formal than their french cousins.  

From there I went to L'Église Saint Augustin, which was gorgeous! 

Later in the week, I had my first ever falafel on the steps of this church with Tufts friends! After that, we headed to Centre Pompidou to enjoy our Kouign Amann (Breton butter and sugar pastry deliciousness) for dessert! 

Then, we headed to Place des Vosges, where we visited Victor Hugo's house. 

Finally, we checked out the Place de La Bastille, where the French Revolution started, before heading home.  

Friday was a spectacular day to just wander!  A friend and I spent the afternoon meandering through central Paris, discovering tiny side streets and beautiful monuments alike! Eventually, we went in the Cathédrale de Notre Dame (and were even able to refrain from singing Disney songs).    

Fun fact #6: When it gets too loud in Notre Dame Cathedral, someone comes on the loudspeaker and says "Shhhhhhhhh!" And then, about 30 seconds later when it is still too loud: "Please remember that you are in a place of worship. Thank you." in French, English, Spanish and German.  Let me just say that the acoustics in the Cathedral really do resonate, and that, given such resonance, such loud speaker announcements can make you feel like you are hearing the voice of God. 

Saturday led two of my friends and I to Giverney, where Claude Monet lived and painted some of his most famous works! Despite a slow start due to a suspicious package on the metro (which caused all lines to stop running and made us miss our train out of the city), we still made it and enjoyed a beautiful day! 

Today, I went to the Musée Nationale d'Histoire Naturelle (the french equivalent of where I worked this summer). While their elephant does not quite compare to ours, there were still some pretty cool specimens inside. 

We then took advantage of our continued beautiful weather to explore the Jardin des Plantes, another exhibit of the museum.  

Fun Fact #7: The French also use the term "Indian Summer" to describe temperatures that are unseasonably warm in the fall.  

I ended a great weekend with a great ice cream cone (Green Apple and Salted Butter Caramel... I thought it was appropriate for fall since I don't really thing that french people do caramel apples) from Glacier Berthillon while enjoying this view! This is in the park behind Notre Dame.   

While this week has been a super busy one, it has been good, too! I have had enough downtime to realize that I am comfortable enough here that it really is starting to feel like my home (away from home away from home).  I can only hope that continues!  Have a great week! 

~SKS