Last week of classes, and other adventures

This week here in Paris, we had the true beginning of summer (and, consequently, the heat), the commencement of the "Soldes," and my last day of classes for the summer. Yes, you heard me correctly: this was my last week of classes here in Paris. My month long course, which met four days a week for several hours a day concluded after a month of reading, walking, and visits. I must admit, it went by extremely quickly and I really enjoyed it; however, not gonna lie, I'm glad it's over.

This past week was pretty quiet, but also very enjoyable: even my high-octane professor who thought it would be a good idea for us to read ten books in French over the course of a month was pretty relaxed. This week, we had the opportunity to read some of my favourite contemporary French writers: Colette and Sophie Calle, who also happened to be the only two women we read this semester. The material was interesting, we only had 3 days of class, and everything was pretty lax due to the arrival of the heat and the fact that it was the last week.

The week (like the whole month) went by very quickly--it was over before it began. To celebrate the end of classes, we had tickets to go see a spectacle as a class. We went to the Opera de la Bastille, a contemporary structure on the site of the old Bastille of French Revolution fame, to see "Kaguyahime," a modern dance piece by a Czech choreographer, inspired by the folk legends of Japan. Thus the ballet was a true melange of cultures: Oriental, Occidental, French, Eastern European, and Asian. The closest thing I can think to compare it to is (for all you honors kids out there) "The Rite of Spring" by Igor Stravinsky. The music was what many would describe as noise, and the dancing lacked the traditional line, instead relying on the pure vigour and energy of the human body. I, for one, really enjoyed it; it was a truly spectacular work of art.


Afterwards, Prof. Clark invited us over to his apartment for drinks and conversation with *real* French people, which was maybe one of the highlights of the semester. After the ballet, he approached us and told us to meet him at his apartment at 10 pm for drinks, which would usually be pretty sketchy, except that we were so curious that it didn't really matter. Haha.

So, we nervously headed over to his apartment and went up to the fourth floor, where we found his door open. Sure enough, he had prepared quite a spread: wine, cheese, potato chips, you get the idea. And, as promised, he had some of his French friends over, Olivier and Olivia (which also made it easy to remember their names). One is a professor of literature at Cambridge, and the other was a professor of Italian in France. They were both very welcoming and outgoing, and amused themselves by speaking with "les petites americaines." We had a few drinks, listened to Prof. Clark make awkward comments about Asians, French culture, and porn (not related to each other, thankfully), before heading home at about 2 in the morning. Talk about finishing with a bang.

Now all I need to do is choose and write an 8-10 page paper on a topic of my choice related to the course, which is due July 18th. That will come in time. Right now, I am enjoying my free time and relaxation here in Paris. The paper can wait.