Rebecca Abroad

Bookworm

2008-02-01T13:55:00.000-08:00

I've been enjoying the last few days of laziness that I can afford this semester. Classes start this upcoming Monday and I'll have class at 9 and 10am until summertime. I am looking forward to bringing this winter break to a close and getting back on a normal schedule. Here's what the next semester is bringing me, tentatively:

-Internship (continuing to work with Bike Friday)
-Women and French Literature (French women authors)
-History of French Cinema
-Translation (English-French/French-English)
-History of Photography
-Painting

Aside from obsessively hashing and rehashing my schedule for the semester, I've been getting a lot of reading done. I finished a wonderful book that I received as a gift in Minneapolis about a woman's journey by bicycle from Ireland to India in 1963. It is called Full Tilt and is written by Dervla Murphy. Most of it is in diary form but it is quite impeccable writing and was very enjoyable to read. Next I started reading the comic strip / graphic novel Persepolis written by Marjane Satrapi and have torn through 2 volumes in the past 24 hours. I can hardly wait to get my hands on the next volume but will have to pause for sleep until I can go to the library to find it tomorrow.

I registered for a library card with Paris' extensive library system and there is a very nice library just a few blocks from my house. They have a large selection of CDs and a fair amount of comic books, so hopefully they will have Persepolis waiting for me.

I went to the national library today with friend John and we visited the "enfer de la bibliotheque" (hell of the library) exhibit, featuring the national library's entire collection of pornographic and otherwise obscene literature and material that have never been on display for the public. Called the hell exhibit because when workers of the library had to go to this section, they told their fellow workers they were "going to hell." It was a fairly comprehensive exhibit of French pornography/erotic art since the 1400s (I don't remember much of anything earlier than that) but it was not really my type of exhibition. The show was only open to people over the age of 16 which was somewhat of a thrill since I am fresh from the days when most everything of interest was banned from my eyes, but now I wish I were spending my time reading comic books and going to see animated films. (I intend on going to see the movie Persepolis soon after I finish reading it!)

In other news, I darned two pair of socks today. One had a small hole in the toe that was easily mendable but the other had a gaping wound to the heel, so I franken-stitched another heel of a sock into the sock to be saved and it feels (and looks) quite lovely. I am only half done with this larger sock mending project as my room got too dark for me to finish.

Tomorrow: Finish Persepolis! (Did I mention that it is written in French?)

Welcome Back

2008-01-28T15:20:00.000-08:00

Paris has offered me a very warm welcome upon my return from the States. Compared to the subzero temperatures of Minneapolis, 50 degrees is downright balmy.

I arrived back in Paris yesterday morning and made it back to my apartment by bus around noon. I encountered only one travel-related difficulty which was an angry man on my bus into Paris who demanded that I remove myself and my baggage from the two seats that I was using, insisting that another section of the bus was designated for persons with baggage. Despite the fact that I had long since reserved my place on the bus and felt that I deserved to be seated safely next to my suitcase that was tucked away from the bustling of other bus passengers, I decided that I was lucky to have gotten to sit for over half of my bus ride so I reluctantly gave up my place(s).

Instead of going straight to bed after getting back to Mme C's apartment, I decided to try to defy jetlag and stay up all day, hoping to be tired once a more normal bed-time rolled around. I unpacked my things for a while, ate some fruit salad with Mme C, drank a bit of tea, then decided to head out and enjoy the lovely weather. Being a Sunday, many tobacco shops which sold my cell phone credits were closed so I couldn't go about doing anything productive with my day. Instead, I walked toward the park near Bercy near my house and watched children playing soccer, people walking dogs, a boy on a unicycle. I found the garden / park to be much more beautiful and interesting than I had remembered and can't wait to see it in the springtime.

I crossed the Seine on the Passerelle Simone de Beauvoir- a new pedestrian bridge that was built last year- and walked toward the National Library. I sat in the sun on the verge of the four-story forest that the library's towers surround and read for about an hour and half, waiting for sunset and all of Paris' starlings and sparrows to come roost for the night. I had witnessed a breathtaking display of thousands of birds roosting here before I left for the U.S. and wanted to experience this again. Instead, the sun went down and I got cold, so I went inside the library, warmed up a bit, saw no birds, and went home.

When I got home I ate dinner with Mme C (pumpkin soup!) and happily went to bed around 8 o clock pm, Paris Time. I fell asleep without a problem and thought myself to be sleeping quite soundly, but I woke up in the middle of the night, around midnight, and couldn't get back to sleep. I laid in bed for over an hour trying to convince myself to go back to sleep but my mind just wasn't turning off. I gave up and turned on the lights and stayed awake until about 4am, when I decided that I was finally sleepy again. I slept mostly without interruption until nearly noon.

Today was another day of walking. I recharged my cell phone, visited the IES center to check for mail (None! How sad!), then walked up to Beaubourg and read for a while, walked back to Chatelet, around the Marais with John, back to Rue Daguerre, then decided to come home and call it a night. After another bowl of soup, my feet are happy to be in bed.

I am looking forward to this semester's prospects. My classes should be interesting: Painting, Women's French Literature, Cinema and Society, Translation, and an internship (basically the work that I have been doing for Bike Friday, only now I will get school credit for it). I also look forward to continuing life in such an amazing and beautiful city and can't wait to see spring come to Paris. The grass is still green at this time of year, but to see the leaves come back to the trees will be quite a sight, I am certain.

In search of lost time...

2008-01-09T11:28:00.001-08:00

There is no possible way for me to make up for missing out on posts for the past month, but if I don't resume now, it is unlikely that I ever will. The demand for these posts is more than I had expected and I apologize for trailing off as I did- there is no real explanation other than the more time passed between posts, the less I wanted to go back to posting, not knowing where to start. Here are some bits about my past month, in reverse chronoloogical order, just to make things interesting.

-Saw "La Visite de la Fanfare" at a movie theater, less music than I expected, but at least my curiousity has ben settled after seeing the movie posters in the Metros for the past month.
-Christopher Vernon Stegeman (boyfriend) departed Paris after a wonderful 6 day stay.
-Saw "Les Trois Soeurs" (a play by Chekhov) with Mme C and Christopher, very enjoyable, but performed in French and I will probably read it in English to pick up what I missed the first time.
-Christopher arrived in Paris.
-New Years Eve on the Champs Elysées, along with several million other people. First time to a Parsian nightclub on New Years Eve too.
*New Years Resolution- read the first volume of Proust's "A La Recherche des Temps Perdus"
-Hung around with friends from the US, Shane and Dave. Ate several crepes.
-Celebrated Christmas with friemds from Paris, John and Ruthie, and ate lasagna.
-Finished classes at IES!
-Hellish finals and wrote many pages of papers in French. Harder than I expected, but not unmanageable.

Most of December was spent waiting for finals and the break to come and I can't really remember the details, except for going to see a Moliere play (Les Precieuses Ridicules) at La Comedie Francaise. Very very funny.

I look forward to coming back to the states very shortly- tomorrow will be my last day in Paris and I fly out on Friday afternoon. I anticipate a very happy reunion of family and friends.

This is all for now and I will try my hardest to keep this blog more up to date to satisfy my readers/mother.

Music! With Anya, and from Peru

2007-11-28T09:18:00.001-08:00

Today has been absolutely fantastic.
Last night I got together with my bandmate from Minneapolis, Anya, who had her violin with her. We played some tunes and it was just wonderful to reminesce about Old Man Orville days and hear those songs again and to play with her. She's been in Paris for a few days (she's on break from studying in Italy for the year) and has been playing her violin on the street, earning between 12 and 19 euros an hour! I don't know if she plays longer than an hour at a time, but that's darn good money!

We were supposed to meet up today near the Louvre and play together so between two of my classes I went to the Louvre to try to find her but couldn't... we played text-message tag and agreed to meet tomorrow instead. It seemed pointless to go back to school without even trying to play and make some money, especially after hauling my guitar all around Paris, so I set up in a archway to the Louvre where the acoustics are quite wonderful for amplifying sound. I had seen/heard a flute player in there a few weeks ago. I played the 7 or 8 Old Man Orville and self-written songs that I knew and managed to have a large enough repitoire to not have to repeat them too often- I'm pretty sure no one heard the same song twice since they were just passing through.

At first no one was interested in stopping and sparing me some change- after about 4 songs a man stopped and emptied his coin purse- 70 centimes. That's a whole US dollar! After a few more songs someone gave me a euro. I played in the archway for about 35 minutes and then had to go back to class but in 35 minutes I collected 7.75 euros! Amazing! I was absolutely blissful when I packed up and headed home on the Metro.

When I got to Chatelet, the station where I had to transfer trains, I was walking through the tunnels and I heard an amazing flute band playing somewhere... I kept walking in my predetermined direction and came across a 5 piece flute and string band from Peru!!! What's more, one of the musicians I had seen playing at Gare du Nord just yesterday and had stopped to talk with his friend who was selling his CDs!

A sidenote: I've been dying to hear Peruvian music since I've arrived in France. It's not that I heard much when I was in Minneapolis either, but at least I had a real stereo that I could turn it up on and dance around my bedroom. Here, I only have my headphones.

I stopped and listened to this 5 piece band and almost cried with happiness. I was running late for class but figured that this moment was much more important than whatever my sociology teacher was presenting that day. (Turns out there was a very interesting guest speaker, but I only missed 15 minutes of class.) I talked with the band's CD seller for a while and he told me a CD cost 15 euros, but he would give me a deal if I bought two... I talked with him a little about the music they were playing and asked him if he knew a certain song that's been my favorite for a long time; he didn't know it but recognized it when I played it for him on my iPod. (Bless technology!) He asked the band to play it next and althought it wasn't my song exactly, El Comerciante, it was pretty close and I was in floored. I yipped and clapped and rolled my tongue and the musicians laughed but everyone else in the crowded Metro looked kind of alarmed.

I decided to buy a CD and gave the man a 20 euro bill and he gave me both of the CDs! No complaints there! I suppose I got each CD for 15 dollars instead of 15 euros! He asked me if I liked music (it was kind of obvious, as I was so ridiculously excited AND carrying around my guitar) and gave me a flier for a concert that's happening tonight. A somewhat well-known band from Venezuela is playing at a Cultural Center just nearby and I have decided to go to that instead of going to drawing tonight. Hands down. No question.

I am feeling quite overwhelmed by music at the moment; I hope I can retain my interest in my IES classes for the rest of the semester! It's been a good one so far.

That's all for now!
-Rebecca

Brittany and Normandy

2007-11-26T06:10:00.001-08:00

Here's an outline of my excellent voyage to the west coast of France this past weekend:

Thursday:
-skipped Literature and Drawing class to meet Charlotte and Parents
-took Orlybus to Orly airport to pick up rental car
-drove to St. Malo, stopped at a very clean rest area and bought chocolate milk
-arrived in St. Malo, found centre-ville
-St. Malo = walled city right on the coast of the Atlantic
-found a one star (*) hotel with a room for four people for only 52 euros a night (bunk beds!)
-walked around deserted tourist trap, window shopping
-went to a bar decorated with dolls, puppets, and an albatross (Photos to come)

Friday:
-breakfast in the pub area of the hotel we stayed at- croissants and coffee
-walked around the wall of St. Malo, walked out to some islands off shore during low tide
-drove to Le Mont St. Michel, stopped at a cider gift shop on the way
-Le Mont St. Michel = an island with a town / cathedral / fortress built on it, acceseble at low tide, surrounded by water at high tide (Photo to come)
-walked around Mont St. Michel, only had 2 hours to walk around before the parking lot would be under water
-grocery store lunch of clementines, bread, and cheese
-drove to Cherbourg, followed signs to centre-ville but didn't really find it
-fount a two star (**) hotel with a room for four people for only 55 euros a night (two double beds, one in a separate room!)
-ate at a wonderful creperie for dinner, Charlotte and I shared 2 crepes
-le Popeye = crepe with cheese, spinach, garlic, tomatoes, and an egg = my favorite
-found several bars serving Stella Artois (a favorite beer of Charlotte's mom) which were too busy to visit

Saturday:
-breakfast in the breakfast room of the hotel- croissants and coffee again, but better jam than the day before
-drove to find Normandy beaches, visited Utah Beach, Omaha Beach, the American Cemetary
-(video of the American Cemetary)
-warm weather, not too windy
-drove to Le Havre, found it to be a lot busier than we had expected
-got lost in Le Havre driving up and down the bluffs, centre-ville, ville-haut, ville-basse, eventually had to stop to buy a map
-found a two star (**) hotel with a room for four people for only 55 euros a night (double bed, pullout couch for Charlotte and me)
-walked around a restaurant quarter and decided to eat pizza instead of seafood. Excellent choice.
-Charlotte and I found a youthful bar and had a very intense moment with some cross dressers, but a relief to be away from her parents for a while

Sunday:
-breakfast on the go, croissants from a bakery and some more clementines
-visited le Musée Malraux, which contained an impressive amount of paintings that were made in the Normandy region
-on the road again, driving back to Paris
-I think I took a nap for a while
-arrived at Orly at 3pm, in time to return the rental car
-took the Orlybus back to Paris

It's good to be home!

To Normandy!

2007-11-22T04:41:00.000-08:00

Hello all friends and family (and whoever else might happen to read this blog),

I apologize for the long delay, and I don't actually have that much time to write, but I would like to relay the message that I am leaving for Normandy for the weekend in a matter of minutes. I promise I will give a detailed account of the trip upon my return on Sunday night.

All of my love,
Rebecca

Critical Mass, Panamalleycat IV, Midterms

2007-11-06T13:06:00.000-08:00

Yet another interesting weekend of biking... On Saturday I experienced two new forms of cycling in Paris- Critical Mass and the Alleycat race that I previously mentioned. Both turned out to be something of a surprise, in their own regard, but quite enjoyable.

I met up with Annie (of the Paris Rando Vélo ride a few weeks ago) on Saturday afternoon in front of the Hotel de Ville and we rode over to the starting point of the Paris Critical Mass. Cyclists gather at the Place du Chatelet on the first Saturday of every month to demonstrate cyclists rights to the road and solidarity among cyclists, as they do in many cities around the world, but the mass this month was quite a small one. Compared to previous Critical Masses that I have participated in in Minneapolis which have sometimes reached over 300 people, the 30 people we rode with this Saturday was quite a different experience. The riders were just as enthusiastic about showing their support for the presence of bicycles on the road and once during the ride we stopped at an intersection where a cyclist had been killed by a motorist just two weeks previous. We shared a moment of bell-ringing in respect for the fallen cyclist and then continued on our tour around Paris. Many riders carried large flags with the name of the organization who arranges Critical Mass- vélorution- the same organization whose workshop I visited a few weeks ago. I wasn't able to get any good pictures of the event, but I had a very good time riding with fellow commuters and bicycle supporters.

Later that evening I met Annie again and we rode to the start of the Alleycat race- Panamalleycat IV (I still think it should have been called Panamalleyquatre...) It was somewhat difficult to locate the start of the race as it was in the middle of a large roundabout park sort of thing at the end of the Champs Elysées, past the Arc de Triomphe (Porte Maillot). Annie and I rode around in circles for a while trying to find the start and eventually spotted the group of 30 bikes in the middle of the traffic circle. Annie had decided not to race and instead was going to "document" me while I road (and help me with directions) so I registered for 5 euros, received my commemorative spokecard and nervously stood around talking with people for the next hour. I met some nice Dutchmen (with goofy Boston accents, which they claim to have acquired from watching MTV) and did a tour of all of the bikes parked around the garden.

When it was time to depart, the organizers of the race had us separate our bikes (Parisiens on one side of the park, out-of-towners on the other side) and go stand on the far side of the park while they distributed the maps and manifests (Manifest: a list of places you need to visit to complete the race, the clue sheet for the scavenger-hunt style race). When they shouted, "GO!" everyone ran to their bikes and took off in various directions. Annie and I chased after a group of people who looked like they knew where they were going and made it to the first location at the base of the Eiffel Tower along with most of the rest of the racers. From there, Annie and I split off from the group and tried our best to navigate our way around Paris, but we got kind of lost in Montmartre trying to find a clue that wasn't in Montmartre at all, and also lost some time in the Opera district.

One-way streets and lots of traffic proved to be the biggest problem of the race, along with wearing too many layers. I rode my road bike (instead of the tikit that I had ridden during Critical Mass) and was able to keep up with Annie, but I had a hard time riding as fast as some of the other racers. Using some of the techniques that Phillipe has taught me over the past few weeks (controlling my breathing, cornering) I think I did a little better than I may have if I had tried the same event in early September.

When I arrived at the finish, or the place where they handed out the second manifest, I found about 20 people standing around- most of whom had already completed both manifests. I had only completed the first half. The organizer of the event told me that I only had 20 minutes to finish the second half and I was already quite exhausted... I decided not to bother getting any more lost and stayed at the finish line. I was pretty disappointed in myself knowing that I was only able to do half of the race in the same amount of time that some of the messengers who knew Paris were able to do the whole thing, but later I found out that some of the other riders had only completed 3 or 4 stops on the first manifest, whereas I had finished all 5. I suppose it's not too bad for my first Alleycat race.

They gave out prizes for the top three male finishers, the first non-messenger, the first out of towner, the last messenger, and despite the fact that I didn't technically finish the whole course, the first female finisher. They gave me a hat sporting the name of the messenger company that put on the race.

I'm unsure if I'll continue to pursue Alleycat races in the future, but it was really good to be around a youthful crowd of bikers, compared to the PCO gang that I've been spending time with for the past few months. Even if I don't try racing like that again, I'm glad that I have had this opportunity to compare my normal cycling to.

In the academic world, I got an extremely good grade on my Intro to Literature midterm, a fairly good grade on my sociology midterm, and I think I ran into a brick wall on my Architecture of Paris midterm that I took on Monday. I will find out about my Grammar midterm on Thursday, and maybe will see the results of the Architecture on next week. I am busy at the moment preparing a text analysis of a poem for my literature class, and surprisingly enough, the text we're analyzing is a song by Serge Gainsbourg. How appropriate.

Toussaint, Le Diner des Cons, Gainsbourg

2007-11-02T14:00:00.000-07:00

This past week at IES was a shortened week due to the French holiday of Toussaint (All Saints Day) and on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday we had our midterm exams. Like any exam, they were daunting and stressful to study for, but in comparison to other midterm exams they weren't really that difficult. For example, my midterm exam for Plant Propagation at the University of Minnesota last year had over 50 multiple choice questions and 5 to 10 short answers... my Intro to Literature class this semester had 14 short answer questions. The amount of work required for the IES courses is hardly comparable to that of at the U of M, but students here are also expected to deal with other things at the same time as studying and getting to class.

My hardest exam was grammar, but I'm not particularly surprised that it was difficult because all of the other mini-tests we've had thus far have been equally as difficult, only shorter. I still have one more midterm next Monday for Architecture in Paris that I think will probably give me some trouble, as we have to study all of our notes, choose one of four topics presented at the midterm, and write for an hour and half on one of the topics. I think the topics will be something like "absolute monarchies of 17th century France represented architecturally" or "Paris in the middle ages and its expansion" which are really open ended, making it easy to write generally for an hour and a half, but really hard to study for because there's so much to study. I hope all goes well.

A lot of my classmates left Paris for the weekend, as we have a four-day weekend for Toussaint. I decided to stay in Paris because I couldn't really decide where I wanted to go and I also thought it might be cool to see the alleycat race this Saturday, plus Critical Mass on Saturday too. (critical mass: manifestation of several hundred / thousand cyclists demonstrating their rights to the road, stopping traffic and making a scene)

Yesterday I went to the theater with Charlotte and her friend Celine and we saw a play called "Diner des Cons." It was made into a film in the '90's and is translated as "The Dinner Game." Brief synopsis- a group of friends organize weekly dinners where one friend brings the stupidest, most ignorant person- the "con" they can find so the friends can compare who has brought the best guest. Instead of making it to the dinner, one friend's "con" ends up at his house and the events of the main character's life unfold as to question who is the real "con." I remember seeing the movie in high school but couldn't remember any specific details about it. It was difficult at times to understand all of the jokes and dialogue (is this word in english or french?) but Charlotte and Celine and I were able to put it all together between the three of us. Charlotte lived in France for a year when she was in high school and Celine's mother is French and they both helped me out with expressions and word-games that I didn't catch.

Last weekend I began discover the music of Serge Gainsbourg, a French singer/songwriter/poet who made music from the 50's to the 80's. I have been getting mixed feelings from people on the topic of Serge Gainsbourg, such as the following:
-When asked about the "singer and poet" Serge Gainsbourg, Phillipe told me that he was no poet. That he drank and smoked and made horrible music. Phillipe's preferred musician: Barry White.
-Mme C agrees that Serge Gainsbourg can be considered a poet and seems to quite enjoy his music, although I've never seen any evidence of this.
-Some French friends of Charlotte offered to play for her a prime example of horrible French music, a Serge Gainsbourg album.

But don't tell me that this song isn't great:
(Do pardon the smoking; he's French)

I am excited to do Critical Mass à la Parisienne tomorrow. I wonder how many people will show up. I heard that last month's Minneapolis critical mass was close to 1000 people. And if there were close to 200 at the Rando Velo the other night, perhaps there will be quite a crowd. A few weeks ago I asked a few cyclists I met if "les flics" (slang for police, similar to cops) in Paris hassle the Critical Massers like they do in Minneapolis but they assured me that since Critical Mass has a permit to manifest, the police actually help direct traffic for the riders. I guess I will find out tomorrow what the actual ride turns out to be. Perhaps Celine and the girl I met at Rando Velo will join me.

C'est tout for now!

three tikit testimonials

2007-10-24T08:45:00.001-07:00

I wrote these three short articles for the Bike Friday webpage, but I don't think it would hurt to post them here, too. Enjoy!

Even when all of Paris stops, the tikit keeps going!

My new tikit arrived at the most convenient time possible- the day before the biggest transportation strike Paris has seen for 10 years. Metros, busses, tramways- no one knew what would be running, if anything at all. With the help of Paris’ new shared bicycle network, Vélib, Parisians resorted to pedaling to work or school, myself included. On my new blue and black 8-speed tikit, I rode alongside the Metro line that had previously taken me to school and saw Paris from a completely new perspective. The landscape wasn’t nearly as flat as I had remembered by train! I sped along the many “pistes cyclables” (bike paths and lanes of traffic reserved only for bikes, busses, and taxis) and made it to school 10 minutes quicker than my normal Metro commute. Later that evening, during a commute that usually lasted an hour with two train transfers, I was able to return home in half of the time!

So innovative, the tikit sells itself

While one of my tasks in Paris is to learn French as a student in an American exchange institute, my other job is to share with Paris information on Bike Friday’s newest creation; distributing brochures, visiting bike shops, promoting the tikit in any way possible. Even without wearing the “sales rep” hat, during the tikit’s first day on the town it attracted attention all on its own. People stopped and smiled at its little wheels as I rode by and I got curious looks as I folded the tikit and entered shops and cafés. An interested waiter stopped me on my way out of one café to inquire about my peculiar bicycle and even without a brochure to give him, he wrote down the name of the company, bicycle, and where to find it- information all clearly listed on the body of the tikit!

The perfect size for living small

In my apartment with my host mother in Paris, everything has its place and no corner is wasted. Paris apartments are notoriously small and I’ve heard many times before, “I would love to have a bicycle… if only I had the space.” My tikit, when folded down to its remarkable size of a small suitcase, fits perfectly in a corner of our foyer, just below the coat hangers. It looks like it was meant to be! Another opportunity to show off the tikit’s tininess was at a crowded restaurant last weekend. The server at first firmly told me that bicycles were not allowed inside, but upon seeing how compact it was, he let me bring it inside and I safely stowed it between the wall and chair where I was sitting. Over the course of the evening, everyone around me forgot that I had snuck a bicycle into the restaurant. Upon my departure, I had to lift the tikit high over my head in order to avoid bumping other diners and I heard cries of disbelief (What’s that? A bicycle?) from people at the restaurant. As I unfolded it and rode off, I’m sure they were wishing they had a bicycle as versatile as mine, instead of spending the rest of the evening waiting for a taxi.

ps: These articles and photos are featured on the Bike Friday webpage! I'm practically famous!

tikit arrival, strike in Paris, Friday night ride

2007-10-20T09:43:00.000-07:00

I thought that updating twice a week wouldn't be that difficult, but it seems as though I'm having some problems with that goal. I attempted to write something on Wednesday in reference to the arrival of my tikit, but the words wouldn't come. I will do my best to recap the highlights of the week, and next week I will attempt to update more regularly.

Bike Friday shipped my tikit on Monday and for the first half of the week, I tracked it on the FedEx webpage as it crossed the US, the Atlantic, landed in Paris, boarded a delivery truck, and arrived at my school. On Wednesday afternoon I found it waiting for me in the office of IES where the secretary was very excited to see what was in the enormous package for me. I took the box into the courtyard and opened it to find my tikit, partially disassembled, and spent an hour putting it together and getting familiarized with its workings. Many students stopped to see what new gadget I had and I did my best to explain it to them, but the novelty of receiving a package in the mail seemed more interesting than the novelty of having a bicycle.

I gave it my first test ride while going to drawing that night and on my first day with the tikit, I logged about 15 kilometers- from IES to my drawing studio to my apartment.

It arrived just in time for the transportation strike that was scheduled to happen on Thursday. Most of the Metro lines and bus routes were closed and many Parisians were out on bicycles trying to get to work or school, but there were also many more cars than usual. I successfully rode to school for the first time and got many interested looks as I passed other cyclists and I wonder if other folding bicycles get the same attention. I stopped at a café between my first IES class and my drawing class (because my second IES class had been canceled due to the difficulty for the professor to get to school because of the strike) and while I was there, a curious server at the café took down the name of the bicycle and the website, which is conveniently written on the side of the bike. www.tikit2ride.com. I wished I had had a brochure to give to him, but unfortunately it isn't quite ready to be printed. Soon, I hope.

On Friday night, I met up with a group of cyclists near the Hotel de Ville where an organization leads night rides by bicycle every Friday night. When I arrived there were only about 30 people, with 10 or 15 members of the organization wearing bright orange vests, but a half an hour later when we departed, the group had swelled to over 100 people. A man who was making announcements at the beginning of the ride said that the largest group on a Friday night was around 950 cyclists. The largest critical mass I've ever attended in Minneapolis probably only had around 150 people attending- I can't imagine kind of crowd attends the Paris critical mass.

Here's a couple photos from the ride last night:

I found it hard to approach people at the group ride because most of the people there already knew each other (it seemed) and they were all bunched in their own groups, talking in their preferred languages. I heard German, French, and during the ride I heard some young people speaking English. I approached them, since I knew we would automatically have two things in common, bikes and English, and joined their conversation. I found that one of the girls was from LA and was in Paris on vacation and met a boy who is French, and also met a young American who is working in the suburbs of Paris at a paper company.

The four of us rode together for the remainder of the ride until the girl from California got a flat tire and we all stopped to try and fix it. The valve broke off of her spare tube so instead of walking back to her apartment, she rode on the back of the French boy's bike and the other American rolled the her bicycle alongside him while we all rode back together. At her destination, we exchanged emails and parted ways, but I think tonight I might meet up again with the girl from California.

The weather has been dry in Paris for the past week which has been very pleasant for biking. I'm glad it wasn't raining on the day of the strike- it would have made it a lot more difficult for the people trying to bike to work, and I'm sure the traffic would have been much worse. It's evening now and I'm sitting on a bench in a garden that was sunny 15 minutes ago, but now the sun has gone behind a building and my hands are getting too cold to type.

I believe this is a formidable blog entry; I hope there are no hard feelings for my sparsity of posts.

More Alleycats, plus 3 side notes

2007-10-13T14:40:00.000-07:00

I visited a very trendy/ritzy/expensive boutique in the Marais today, Colette. It is a boutique that I had found references to online about an art exhibit in July dedicated to bicycles, and also that an Alleycat race had started there during the weekend-long festival that was also held that month, coinciding with a bicycle film festival. It took me a while to find the boutique but when I did come across it, I found that it was absolutely packed full of people. There was a new art exhibition opening today and there were photographs displayed all around the store, I later found out that several of the featured artists were present and signing prints and things today. I wandered around looking at the mannequins standing around the store but spent more time looking at the photographs on the walls. I think the theme of the photographs was "people on the street" and the title of the exhibition was "From the Street to the Night."

The store spanned three floors with music and accessories on one level, clothes and shoes on the second floor, a small hideout with lots of men's clothes, and in basement there was a aqua-bar. I didn't venture down into the basement, but I heard that they have something like 40 different flavors of mineral water down there. I wasn't interested in the expensive clothes or special water, but I spent a good deal of time looking at the photographs and wondering what I might find out about the Alleycat race. I found a section of the store that didn't have any merchandise in it- only pictures displayed. There was a desk with a woman sitting at it and I was unsure if I was allowed to enter that section of the store, but I went up the stairs and started looking at the photographs when the woman approached me. She was very friendly and started talking to me about the new exhibition. She gave me a program for all of the photographs and told me about the artists who were signing things and told me that if I had any other questions, I should feel free to ask her. She must have known that I wasn't there to shop.

I looked around at the photographs in her area and after a few minutes, decided to inquire more about the bicycle art exhibition. This conversation led to talking about the introduction of Vélibs to Paris and how although bicycles are becoming more widely used, they still aren't terribly popular... other articles I've read about bicycles in Paris seem to suggest otherwise, but that was the gist of our conversation. I finally asked her about the Alleycat race that happened and if they happened regularly in Paris. At first she told me no, but then gave me a look and told me that I might be able to find out more about them by going to this other place nearby and asking there. She seemed kind of sly about it and mentioned something about the organizers trying to keep it secret, but she gave me the name of the location and directions to get there, wishing me luck on finding Alleycats in Paris.

I am really not sure what the level of secrecy is concerning these Alleycats she was telling me about, so for now I will withhold the name of the location where I went to continue my search. By piecing together my clues, I'm sure anyone would be able to find out about them on their own too. I followed her directions and turned down this tiny street with no traffic or visible shops and found the location I thought she was referring to. It was locked up for the day and didn't have the same name she had given to me, but the directions made sense and I figured that it could be the right place if I came back during the week.

There was a small used book store across the street from my mystery location and I poked my head inside asking if the business across the street involved bicycling and when they were open. The man working at the bookstore verified that I had found the right location and asked me why I was trying to go there and I hesitantly explained to him that I was interested in Alleycat races, not knowing if it was okay for me to share this information with him (secret Alleycat race!!!). He told me that he was friends with the people across the street and that I could write them a note and leave it on their doorstep or he could deliver the note during regular business hours. It all seemed very sneaky and I couldn't resist. While I was writing the note which simply said, "HALDEMAN, Rebecca. Student, bicycle enthusiast. Interested in Alleycats. rebhal87@gmail.com." he went on a long one-sided debate about American politics (he knew I was American) and it was very difficult to leave. I gave him the note and apologized for the decisions of my country's government and wished him a good day, with the hopes of perhaps hearing back from this mysterious Alleycat organizing club.

Although most of this post is dominated by my quest to find Alleycats, a few more things to note:

-The dance performance I went to tonight was very strange. A sod-covered stage that moved by balloons inflating under it, 9 dancers that all moved in unison, chaotic music that played at random intervals during the performance... I wasn't entirely sure what to think about it and my host mom wasn't too impressed, but I'm glad I got to go and experience a new kind of entertainment.

-I made the GateauSport tonight (SportCake) and will give it a try tomorrow... Although I took a wild guess at the recipe since the directions on the box were very unclear, it smelled fine when cooking and when I stuck a knife in the middle, the knife came out clean. Hopefully it will work?

-I visited another bike shop today in the Marais that is very nice- new road bikes and commuter bikes and even a foldable mountain bike. I'm very excited to continue compiling a list of places to take my tikit once it arrives.

I think that's it for the night.
with love,
from Paris,
Rebecca

In the future: contemporary dance, tikits, alleycats

2007-10-13T05:17:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon, friends and family,

I just got back from a brisk ride around the Bois de Vincennes. I met Jacques, the vice president of my cycling team, Paris Cycliste Olympique, at 10:15 and we rode a few laps around the track together and gradually added more people to our group until I lost track of Jacques. Malik, another member of PCO joined us and I rode with him for a while and listened to him talk about the race that he's doing next weekend in the Bois de Vincennes that PCO is organizing. I talked with Jacques a bit about helping him with registration at La Cipale (PCO's headquarters) so I think that's how I will be spending next Sunday. Phillipe joined us a little later, around 11, and then we came across the other woman who I had seen at PCO meetings, Stephanie. Malik and Stephanie are going to do the race next weekend as a team.

Tonight I am going to a contemporary dance performance with Mme C. Despite reading the description about it in a magazine she gave to me, I am not sure really what to expect. This will be my first real outing on the town (that isn't just walking around all night) and I am very excited.

I heard back from Bike Friday last night and found out that they'll be shipping my tikit on Monday! I hope it arrives before Friday so I can take it with me to La Cipale on Sunday where there will be many people to show it to.

This past week was quite exhausting- my late night classes are wearing on me. I'm really enjoying my figure drawing classes but it's difficult to spend a full day at school and then draw for three hours. On Wednesday night I didn't get home until 11pm! So late! We had a different model this week than last week who used different poses and had a much different style to modeling than the week previous.

I searched around on the internet last night for cycling associations (not necessarily clubs, but organizations active with promoting cycling as transportation, etc.) in Paris and found several that I hope to get connected with. I had been curious about the presence of Alleycat races in Paris- if they even exist here- and found a few links to past races.

(Clarification: An "Alleycat" is a bike race that usually happens in an urban setting, often in the downtown areas of cities, and are often dominated by bike messengers or cyclists who know their way around the city very well. It can involve stopping at various locations along the way from start to finish, like a scavenger hunt, and the races are not usually sponsored or organized by cycling clubs or teams- but they can be.)

Alleycat races are very popular in Minneapolis and the biggest indicator is the presence of "spokecards," a post-card sized laminated flyer that people weave in their spokes of their bicycle wheel, often the rear wheel. After reading last night about Alleycats that happened in Paris this summer I saw a man with a spokecard this morning, but it was a different kind of card- the kind that clips onto the frame and hits the spokes as they go by, making a rather obnoxious buzzing/clicking sound. I'm going to try and find out more information about Alleycat races in Paris today, not necessarily with the intention of doing one, but just to see what the urban cyclist climate is like in Paris. In Minneapolis, there is a huge variety of cyclists, ranging from commuters to roadies to mountain bikers to those who practice doing tricks on their fixed gears... After having discovered road bike culture, I would like to see what else there is.

Lastly, I would like to send out a big congratulations to my cousin Joe and his wife Brenna as their first son, Charles, was born on Monday. Welcome to the family, Charles.

C'est tout!

Drawing Class, Philosophy, La Nuit Blanche

2007-10-07T08:40:00.000-07:00

Before I let too many days get away from me, I will try my best to document a few of the past week.

I had my first drawing class last Wednesday night. My drawing class is held outside of my IES school at a French art academy that offers drawing, painting, and sculpture classes to students of all backgrounds and levels. I was somewhat surprised to hear that I was required to go to the art school on Wednesday night because I was under the understanding that my classes would be held on Thursday nights and I would have open-studio time on Wednesday nights. According to this understanding, there was no reason to go to the Wednesday night open-studio without having had my first Thursday night class... I heard that some other students from my Thursday drawing class were also going on Wednesday so I decided it would be better to make the trip and check in with my teacher instead of risking missing anything important.

The Academie de la Croix Nivert is a one-room schoolhouse that looks something like a large storage warehouse. There is a loft where lots of tablets and tables are stored and the main floor has many easels and a raised platform in the center of the room where the model sits. It took me about 35 minutes to get to the school which caused me a bit of concern, knowing that on a normal Thursday I get out of an IES class at 2 and have to be at la Croix Nivert by 2:30, but I noticed that there were many straggling students coming into class late and the teachers welcomed them all with a very relaxed attitude.

When I arrived all of the students in the classroom, regardless of whether they were taking painting or sculpting or drawing, were given an easel and paper and we worked on figure drawing for the entire class period. I was very nervous at first, not knowing at what level the other students would be drawing at, but I was happy to find that there was a wide range of students in my class and I was somewhere in the middle. We drew poses from 5 minutes to 30 minutes and I felt myself getting more comfortable with charcoal and drawing again- something that I haven't really done since last spring semester. At the end of the class period, we turned in our two best drawings that will be graded at the end of the semester. Hopefully they will grade on personal improvement versus comparing to other class members?

On Friday I normally do not have any classes but this past Friday, I met with my Architecture of Paris class and we toured the Latin Quarter, visiting the Notre Dame de Paris, the Hotel de Cluny, and another church that I can't quite remember the name of. It was difficult hearing my professor talk about the sites we were visiting because I find that I have a hard time not looking directly at the person who is speaking (in French) and she kept telling us to look at the architecture and not at her. We will have one of these guided visits every two weeks or so- I'm looking forward to the tour of Montmartre.

On Friday night I went to a birthday party for my friend Addie that was being held at the IES Apartments. When I arrived there were quite a few people there, including our Residence Adviser who was concerned about how loud the party was getting. People started leaving shortly after but a good 10 people stuck around the party until 3am. I spent most of the evening listening to an existential debate between the R.A. and another IES student and from 3:00 to 5:30am the R.A. offered to us an in-depth explanation of Sartre and Existentialism. It was very interesting, and I found myself quite satisfied from mentally exhausting myself in a manner that I normally do not.

In recovery from a late night Friday and in preparation for Saturday night, La Nuit Blanche, I slept most of the day yesterday and did some homework in the evening. La Nuit Blanche is an all-night festival in Paris when museums stay open through most of the night and all over Paris there are performances and art installations to visit. It just so happens that last night was also the night of a Rugby World Cup match between France and New Zealand and France won, causing much celebration in the streets. With a combination of La Nuit Blanche and excited sports fans, I witnessed the most crowded streets I had ever seen at 3am in Paris. It was even more wild than when I was here for the summer solstice in 2005. Absolute madness. People were climbing up on the Fountain of St. Michel and singing and cheering and waving flags... wild. I didn't end up seeing many of the events of La Nuit Blanche, but I did walk around with friends until 6am when the Metro started working again.

It was a cyclingless weekend for me, but I was very happy to have some time to enjoy the nightlife of Paris instead of trying to go to bed early in order to go riding at 7am. I will get back at it next weekend, I am sure.

C'est tout!

Paris in Squares

2007-10-02T12:30:00.000-07:00

I was having a hard time coming up with text for my next blog, so instead I decided to show you some images of my new home.

The view from my bedroom window, sunset.

One side of my triangular room.

A market near my apartment, open Tuesday and Friday mornings.

An accordion shop near my school.

Cemitiere du Montparnasse, also near my school.

One of my school buildings and the courtyard where I often spend my free time.

The new and popular bicycle renting service in Paris, Vélib.

A generic Metro picture, which happens to be the one that takes me home from school.

La Notre Dame de Paris.

The other side of the Notre Dame, with flowers.

Pigeons and the Centre Pompidou, Paris' Modern and Contemporary art museum.

A funk brass band performing in front of the Centre Pompidou.

Same band, called Beat 'n Blow.

Note how the singers use megaphones to amplify their voices.

The remains of a fire in a pile on the sidewalk. In the upper left corner lies a pack of cigarettes with the warning, "Smoking Kills."

A costume and puppet shop prepares for Halloween, a holiday not yet commonly celebrated in France.

Everything you might need to start a clowning act.

I hope you enjoyed this brief tour of the city, and also a timeline of some things I did today. More next time!

Love,
Rebecca

Rain and Dietary Supplements

2007-09-28T09:40:00.000-07:00

I do believe that wintertime in Paris is just around the bend. Perhaps 5 months lie ahead of me that will be nothing but cold and wet. I hear that it doesn't snow in Paris, nor is there much ice, but as far as I can tell, it rains a lot. Although sub-zero temperatures (Fahrenheit) have never been my favorite aspects of wintertime in the Midwestern United States, 40 degrees and raining doesn't sound terribly pleasant either.

I ventured out into the rain today to meet Phillipe for what I thought was going to be a ride of some sort. We had talked on the phone briefly in the day and he told me to bring a backpack with another pair of shoes in it. I asked him what kind of clothes to wear, such as if blue jeans would suffice, but he told me that cycling clothes would do, since wearing wet blue jeans can cause one to catch a cold. I met him around 3 o clock with no idea of what kind of adventure we were about to debark on, and upon his arrival to our meeting place, he revealed to me the contents of the backpack he was carrying.

On previous rides, he told me that he was going to try to help me lighten up my bike. He said that by changing out a few parts here and there, we might be able to reduce my bike's weight by 2 or even 3 kilograms. I was skeptical since I knew that people can end up spending a lot of money to lighten their bicycles but he told me that we would find ways to do it inexpensively, by finding used parts or borrowing things that he had lying around his house. The first thing he commented on was my saddle, a Terry Gellissimo Butterfly, telling me that not only was it quite heavy, it also had padding more suited to long-distance riding. When using a padded saddle such as the Terry in racing situations, you lose energy into the cushion of the saddle instead of the energy going into the pedals. Which were the next point of correction. He told me that he had an extra pair of pedals that were similar to mine but were much lighter.

From his backpack he presented to me a new saddle (noticeably lighter than the Terry, but also much more firm) and a new set of pedals (that were also noticeably lighter). He also pulled out a raincoat, despite the fact that I was already wearing one, and told me that this one was too big for him and I was welcome to use it. Cleat covers, a yellow Trek baseball cap, a pair of tights (also too big for him), and other things he took out of his backpack and I stood in front of him not sure what to say other than "thank you mille fois" for his generosity.

(I forgot to mention a few posts ago that I was without a cycling jersey for about a week and a half since I was expecting a Hub Bike Co-op jersey in the mail from Minneapolis... I was on the look out for a respectable jersey at bike shops I went to and mentioned this search to Phillipe. The next time we met for a ride, he gave me a jersey to wear- one that he told me was also too big for him. It was a little big for me too but was much better than wearing a tee shirt- my primary cycling apparel up until that point. I think he told me that it was the jersey of Lance Armstrong's team in 1999 and features Trek, Volkswagon, and various other sponsors. This is the reason why he gave me the Trek hat today.)

After the presentation of gifts from his backpack, we left to go on our ride. He told me that we would be riding to a nearby sporting goods store, Decathlon, that was a bit north of our current location. It was raining a little and was kind of chilly- I was glad to be wearing leg warmers and my raincoat. It took us roughly 15 minutes to get to Decathlon and when we arrived, we haggled with the security guards to let us leave our bikes, supervised, at the front of the store. I changed my shoes and shed some wet layers and set off after Phillipe into the mega-store of sports. Decathlon had a department for everything it seemed- camping, cycling, jogging, karate, ballet, as well as an expansive apparel and nutrition section.

The nutrition section is what interested Phillipe the most. We arrived in the nutrition section and I was a little overwhelmed by the amount of bottles and jars and packets of supplements but Phillipe knew exactly what he was looking for. He showed me a container of recovery-aid powder, similar to something like Hammer Nutrition's Recoverite I imagine. 5 dollars a jug. Also, he showed me another container of something to use during the ride, probably something like Hammer Nutrition's Perpetuem. Also 5 dollars a jug. Amongst other things he showed me were dextrose tablets (mint flavored, and I haven't quite grasped the concept of what they accomplish... I just read on the Hammer Gel website that "glucose, sucrose, fructose, and dextrose are garbage" so I hope Phillipe has reasoning behind his faith in dextrose...), energy gels whose labels I don't quite understand, and a sport-cake mixture that you can supposedly mix with water to bake a cake to eat before going on a long ride. According to Phillipe, a piece of this sport-cake and a glass of fruit juice for breakfast before a long ride is good preparation for the day.

To be honest, I was quite skeptical of Phillipe's necessity for so many supplemental products. Perhaps my criticism stems from growing up in a family of cyclists whose primary source of nutrition was bagels, fruit, and Gatorade. It wasn't until recently that PAC Tour started carrying supplemental products like electrolyte tablets and recovery powders. Although I, myself have tried products and powders like Perpetuem and Recoverite and found them to be sufficient, I never really considered them necessary components to my cycling. And perhaps this is simply because I have not been completely dedicated to serious cycling. Also, maybe there is a difference between the diet of a long-distance endurance cyclist and the diet of a short-distance competitive cyclist. Not that long-distance cyclists aren't competitive, but based on my experiences with PAC Tour, already Phillipe's philosophies and those of my parents seem to have some opposing arguments. Or perhaps my parents haven't shared with me the details of competitive cycling nutrition because I've never needed to know about them.

My anxiety and uncertainty grew as Phillipe continued to add things to his basket in Decathlon and after nutrition, he headed toward the Cardio-meter department. I had previously talked with my dad about sending me a heart rate monitor so I was very hesitant to purchase one, knowing that one would be in the mail soon, but Phillipe firmly told me that 2 weeks was too long to wait for a heart rate monitor. He found one that cost only 20 euro and added it to the cart. We passed by the tennis shoe department and had he tried to outfit me with a new pair of tennis shoes I would have outright refused, since I am positive that my shoes from home will suffice, but luckily he must have just been browsing and we carried on our way.

As we approached the check out counter I grew nervous about how much this outing was going to set me back and I asked him if it would be possible to wait a day for the heart rate monitor to see if I could contact my dad about canceling the order of the one from home. He said it wasn't necessary, that it was only 20 euro and if I got a new one from home that I liked more, I could give him the 20 euro one to use. I suppose that's a French way of not taking no for an answer. I asked him if there was a cash machine around and he simply shook his head no. I reluctantly told him that I didn't think I had enough money for everything and he told me not to worry about it. 66 euros later, I had three containers of nutritional supplements, two packets of energy gel, a box of dextrose tablets, a heart rate monitor, and a bottle of vitamin water, all thanks to Phillipe's checkbook.

I'm not exactly sure how I feel about having such a benefactor, but I guess if he's willing to ride with me and train me and feed me, there's not much to object to. It's very nice to have such an encouraging person to ride with and learn from, but it is still a little unsettling not knowing he expects in return for his generosity. Once springtime comes around, does he expect me to start winning races? I can see that he has sees a lot of potential in me and my cycling future; I just hope I don't let him down.

While we were still in Decathlon we could hear the rain pounding on the building's tin roof and I was glad we weren't out on a ride somewhere, but the rain hadn't stopped by the time we left. The ride home was a lot quicker than it took us to get there, but my hands and legs were very cold by the time I got back to my apartment. Like normal, Phillipe wanted to review and analyze what he had told me today and as he transfered the contents of his backpack into a smaller bag for me, he did a short inventory and explanation of each item. He could tell I was cold so didn't elaborate as much as he might have liked and shortly after we established a time and place to meet tomorrow for another ride. 9:30 if the weather's good, 10:00 if the weather's bad. I don't quite understand his justification, but that's the plan.

That's certainly enough for now... perhaps more later.

Turtles, Tikits, and Too Many Classes

2007-09-24T12:42:00.001-07:00

Yesterday morning as I was eating breakfast, I looked out the window and thought I noticed a new ceramic pet on the balcony. I thought I had seen before a bronze-colored turtle on the balcony in days previous, some garden-art amongst Mme C's various plants, but I could have sworn it had been facing to the left. I peeked around the corner of the window and saw him now facing another turtle, a ceramic yellow one, that I had never seen before. I watched them peacefully enjoying the morning sun as I finished my breakfast and thought no more of them for the rest of the day.

That night, Mme. C asked me if I had noticed the addition to her collection of outdoor pets, which I said I had. She told me that she had found her the night before outside on the curb by someone's garbage and decided to bring her home for a second chance at life. I'm glad she has a companion on the balcony, or else I would imagine it to be quite lonely.

I received a very exciting email today from the folding bicycle company Bike Friday. Before leaving the US, I sent them a document offering to do some promotional work for them, advertising a new bicycle they just came out with, called the Tikit. They responded to me today saying they would be happy to let me use a Tikit during my stay in Paris and would ship a bike to me after receiving a timeline for the tasks I proposed to accomplish for them. Such tasks include making a brochure for the Tikit in French, visiting local bike shops and demonstrating how neat it is (it folds very quickly!), and talking to people on the street about it. I hope to hear back from them soon regarding details about the bike (slick tires or knobbier ones?) and to find out how soon it might arrive! Exciting!

Yesterday I took Mme C's bike out for a spin around town. It is a three speed Dutch cruiser that didn't like it's highest gear too much, but it got me to the Bois de Vincennes where I did some homework for a while. It was a beautiful day which attracted lots of people to the paths of the Bois and while trying to maneuver around everyone, I almost ran into a dog and several children. It is very frustrating trying to ride a bicycle on what is labeled to be a bike path when there are many non-bicyclists using it as well. I saw a cyclist who I had ridden with last Sunday riding around the bicycle track in the Bois and he stopped to say hello and we rode a slow lap around the track before departing. Slow in comparison to our previous speeds going around the track, but as fast as the cruiser wanted to go.

I had my first day of classes today and after Questions of Aesthetics, I was scared out of my mind for how difficult the following semester would be. I knew beforehand that it would be a very philosophical course regarding "What is Art?" and "When is Art?" but I realized that if I wanted to do well in all of my courses this semester, I couldn't dedicate enough time to that course itself. My next class, Architecture of Paris, turned out to be much less overwhelming and I think I will enjoy that course over the following weeks. Roughly every two weeks we will have an outing on a Friday morning when we will go and visit a building or area of Paris that we had been learning about. The teacher is very nice and likes drawing pictures on the chalkboard, but her handwriting is kind of difficult to read.

After that class I had a two-hour break during which I ate some lunch that I brought from home and wrote some emails (most importantly, one to Bike Friday regarding my timeline!). My last class of the day was also very interesting, Contemporary France, that will examine aspects of current French society such as the educational system, immigration, religion, Left vs. Right and how it differs from Democrat vs. Republican, etc. I am also very excited for this class and the teacher is younger than the rest of my teachers- she seems to try to relate to the students as much as she can without being too lenient.

I decided this afternoon, after having reflected upon how much homework I had already been assigned and having considered what I had just agreed to do for Bike Friday, that I would drop my Questions of Aesthetics class and might try to take it next semester if I have the time for it. I know it would be a very interesting class and I would learn a lot about different periods of French art, but I didn't want to be too stressed and overwhelmed, trying to balance all of my tasks but not having enough time to still enjoy being in Paris.

On a Metro note, I received my Carte Imagin'R today- a Metro pass that is good for the following year that is not a ticket you put into a machine like I had been used to, but is a card with a sensor in it that I wave over the turnstile and it lets me through! Very modern. I can also use this card to rent the citywide bicycles that are a new service to Paris, called Vélib. It's kind of a bummer that it arrived today because I had already bought my weekly ticket that is good until next Sunday, but at least I have it before having to buy more of those weekly tickets!

As much as I like taking the Metro around Paris, I can't wait until I can ride my Tikit around Paris instead of having to wait for the train.

C'est tout.

End of the "Propedeutique"

2007-09-22T14:02:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to save this blog from becoming solely a memoir of my biking adventure in Paris, I will write a bit more about my primary focus: school.

On Friday I had my last intensive French grammar class in which we took a test that reviewed all that we had been reviewing for the past week. I assume it was to be used to better place us in a grammar class for the rest of the semester, but even before the tests were graded, our professor told us what class we were in. Perhaps after the tests are graded, those who didn't make the cut will be further instructed to take a different class. After the test our professor also handed out a grammar and reading packet for the class, which I am not sure how she was able to determine without knowing the results of the test, but I'll assume the best and hope I get to stay in my same class.

On Monday, I will have three classes to attend and my day at IES starts around 10:30 and ends around 5:30. I'm glad I have a break for a few hours in the afternoon so I will have time to eat some lunch and maybe do some homework. Mondays and Wednesdays will be nearly the same schedule but on Wednesday nights, my drawing class will have a model available to draw (so I am told- I haven't found out much additional information regarding my drawing class at the Atelier de la Croix Nivert). Thus far, I do not have any classes scheduled for Fridays which could make for a nice extended weekend and good for traveling, or it will make it more stressful to have 18 hours of class condensed into 4 days. I'm not sure at this point how difficult my coursework is going to be, but I heard from previous students that the coursework is not as difficult as at home universities because IES assumes that students taking certain classes are not necessarily majoring in it. For example, I am taking Contemporary France, a sociology course, but it is not assuming that I am a sociology major and I know how to write up an ethnography how someone with background in the field would. I have no idea what kind of expectations the Questions of Aesthetics class has for the students, but I think I am most curious about that class and look forward to it quite a bit.

The IES Center where classes are held is actually a series of three separate buildings. The main building is on the first floor of 4 or 5 story apartment building so we share an entry way with private residents. In the main building, there are the offices of IES workers, a computer lab open to students, a small library, and one classroom. Behind the main building is a small courtyard with a garden where it is often nice to pass time between classes, but I find there isn't enough seating. The building behind the courtyard, on what I believe is the south side, is also part of the IES complex where there is a lounge area and 3 or 4 more classrooms. Down the block a ways is another building where there are more classrooms and an art studio with easels where the IES drawing class is held- not the class I am registered for. I imagine that I will be able to use the studio to do my art homework unless I need to be in the presence of a model, and for that I will have to go to the Atelier de la Croix Nivert, which is about 25 minutes by Metro from the IES Center. In all of the IES buildings, there is wireless internet, but I haven't tested out the reliability of the connection yet.

Yesterday after class I went on a picnic by a canal in the northeast area of Paris. I went with several other IES students and we brought bread and cheese and fruit and sat by the canal for a few hours, people watching and lunching. It was a beautiful day and I was glad to be enjoying one of the potentially last days of summer. Later that evening we went to a soirée at a friend's apartment where we were the obvious group of 5 americans amongst a group of french people who all knew each other. It was difficult at first to start up conversations with people but after a while we started to more freely integrate with the french kids. I left around midnight because I had to take the Metro home and be in bed at a reasonable hour to be ready for my ride this morning. I don't know how long my friends stayed at the party, but I wouldn't be surprised if they stayed past 3am. A little too late for me.

I met Phillipe this morning in the Bois de Vincennes at 10 and we rode for about an hour and a half on various loops around the park. There was a series of three hills that we rode a loop on that was fatiguing after a while, but still good practice for myself, not a strong hill-climber. Tomorrow we're going on a longer ride out of the city that should be around 70 or 80 kilometers, and for that I have to be up and out the door at 7:45! Quite early, considering I'm still awake and it's almost midnight.

On that note, I'm off to bed. More to come later, I'm sure!

Biking with Phillipe

2007-09-20T10:30:00.000-07:00

Today after class at IES I met Phillipe in the Bois de Vincennes at the same place I had gone riding on Sunday. As I was waiting and looking around for him, I noticed how different the crowd was from Sunday. On Sunday, there had been many people on cruiser bikes, leisurely making a tour around the park. Today, after a pack of 30 cyclists passed me at 25 miles per hour, I knew the spirit would be much different. Phillipe was riding in another group and came by shortly after the big pack passed me and stopped to explain the rules of the route. He warned me many times to always be very aware of what's ahead, behind, and to either side of me, because you can never tell what to expect when riding fast in big groups. He said most of the people riding were good cyclists and wouldn't do anything too spontaneous, but every now and then there's an obstruction in the road or something unexpected happens and people crash. His speech scared me out of my wit's end and I wasn't sure that I wanted to ride any more that day, but shortly after we departed and started accelerating.

We joined a group of 20 or more cyclists and for the first 15 minutes, I was terrified. Every time I went around a corner I thought I was going to crash. Every time I had to pass someone I thought I was going to run into someone else. The speed of the group wasn't too fast, and while we were riding Phillipe tried to explain to me the concepts of drafting, of "warming up", of signaling turns, of cornering, etc. After perhaps 4 or 5 laps with the group, Phillipe said it was time to test my heart. Or something like that. He moved to the left of the group and started accelerating more and signaled for me to follow. We passed the group we were with and kept going. I think I remember seeing 37 or 38 kmh on my speedometer, which I was able to hold for about three laps. After that, I felt my legs started to object and didn't want to pedal any more, and no matter how hard I tried to keep up with Phillipe, he pulled away from me. I gave him a shout and he slowed down and we rode slower for a while. It makes sense that I maxed out at that speed, because I can remember riding with Jeannette on the Hub Women's rides and after a mile or two of 22 or 23 mph, I couldn't stay with her. Hopefully my speeds will improve, because in comparison to race standards, I don't think 23 mph is all that fast...

Phillipe and I rode at a more moderate pace for a while and he explained more things to me, recovery, diet, cross training, proper clothing, all things that I am sure I have heard a lot about in the past but I could only understand about 60% of what he was talking about. I kept saying yes to make him keep talking, but I think that maybe he took that for me actually understanding him because then he would move onto another subject. My head was swimming after a while from all of the French and all of the cycling-specific rules and training tips and on and on and on... I don't have a very good idea of how long we rode and how long he talked but in all, we did about three more cardiac exercises, all ending with me shouting "Phillipe!" as he started to get away from me.

I don't have a good idea of who Phillipe is, but he must be a rather well-known cyclist in the Paris area. He told me that he has been involved with cycling, triathlons, running, and athletics in general for quite some time. He knew many people who were riding today and many people knew him as well, which makes me think that maybe the Paris cycling community isn't as big as I thought, or feared. I was the only woman I saw riding today and one time as a group of faster riders overtook us, I heard a half-dozen voices speaking at once to Phillipe with laughing tones, and when I asked Phillipe what they had said, he just said, "What do you think? They're guys." He talked to me about how in France cycling is definitely a male-dominated sport (what isn't?) but welcomed me wholeheartedly. I asked him if he enjoyed helping debutante cyclists improve and he didn't give me a direct yes or no, but said that he found it good to give back to the sport as he has learned a lot over the years from his mistakes and likes sharing his experience with those who haven't acquired it yet.

After we finished at the Bois de Vincennes, he told me that something special was happening at La Cipale, so we rode down there, perhaps only 4 or 5 kilometers from the loop we had been riding. When we arrived, I saw some super-muscular men with super-fancy track bikes and Phillipe told me, in a rather hushed tone, that the man sitting behind him was the World Champion of track. He couldn't remember his name but it turns out there were several world champions at La Cipale that day. I think Phillipe said that there was a television program being recorded on track racing? I don't really know. While we watched the track racers, Phillipe continue to tell me more about proper training and nutrition and what to take on rides and when to ride and when to rest, but by that time I couldn't absorb any more. I wanted to ask him to write me a list of 5 things I need to do right now and when I've finished those, give me another list of 5 things, but I think he was just excited to talk about all of the things he has learned. It was definitely a great exercise for my French skills! More listening than speaking, but still a good work out.

We rode home from La Cipale together and after arriving at my apartment, we arranged another rendezvous on Saturday morning. A short ride, at what speed I couldn't tell. Tomorrow is rest day, then the short ride of questionable intensity on Saturday, then a longer group ride on Sunday when we'll go out through the suburbs of Paris to the country. Phillipe said it would be about a 60 or 70 kilometer ride, and considering I did 50 today, I think I can handle it, as long as it isn't too fast. Upon saying our goodbyes, Phillipe said that I can use the "tu" - familiar form - of addressing him now, because the "vous" form is for... he made a gesture of a person with a big beard. I think I have made a friend! And also, possibly a physical trainer! He told me to go eat a banana and raisins because raisins have some special nutritious feature that I couldn't make out in French. And yogurt too, because it's also special. Hopefully the words will come to me someday...

I'm exhausted now, and look forward to sleep tonight.

PS: As I was leaving the Bois de Vincennes, I saw an older man who I had seen and briefly talked to at Service Velo a week ago. Again, when I was leaving La Cipale, he rode by me! I'm not sure that he recognized me in uniform, but it makes me very happy to already be able to recognize people in Paris.

Fall Semester Schedule

2007-09-18T14:41:00.000-07:00

Here is the schedule of the classes I will be taking this fall, and when. If I find out that 6 classes is too many, I might have to decide between Questions of Aesthetics and Architecture in Paris.

Sorry it's so small- if you click on the picture, it gets bigger!

Groceries, PCO orientation, Visit to the Doctor

2007-09-18T09:54:00.001-07:00

I've had a couple of new experiences in the past few days that I would like to relate:

I went grocery shopping at a large supermarket last night where I found the rest of the population of Paris, as they had also just gotten out of work or class. As much as I would have liked to shop at a more relaxed pace, perhaps at several different specialty stores to find my dinner, it was nice to be able to wander around anonymously and search out what I needed. Earlier in the day, I had purchased a sandwich for 4 Euro for lunch and upon inspecting the ingredients, I decided I could make a sandwich just like it the next morning and not have to buy a pre-prepared meal that day. I gathered a baguette, a tomato, a head of romaine lettuce, a wheel of Camembert cheese, and a small tub of mustard, and there was my meal for the next day. I also bought a red pepper, an onion, and a box of pasta to cook dinner with. In all, my groceries came to merely 6,39 Euro, and with them I made dinner last night (with more than half of all of my vegetables remaining, plus more than half a box of pasta) and lunch for today. Tomorrow I intend to do the same, and I already bought my baguette for my sack-lunch. I saved the paper sandwich sleeve from the sandwich I had purchased and used it to hold my sandwich today, which worked very very well. Several students at IES asked me where I had bought it (making polite small talk, as we all know you get sandwiches at the boulangerie), and I happily told them that I had made it at home. C'est genial, they said. Vraiment une bonne idée.

Last night I also returned to La Cipale to inquire more about the cycling team, Paris Cycliste Olympique. Inside the Velodrome gates I found a meeting room with the lights on with voices echoing inside. Here I found a table with three men sitting behind it and several others sitting on my side of the table filling out forms. I caught someone's attention and asked if this was where I could find out information about P.C.O. and I showed him a brochure Mme C had found for me. He led me to a chair at the table, where I sat and spoke with what turned out to be the President of the team. I filled out a short form with my name and phone number and he gave me some more forms to fill out at home. Also, he told me I had to get a physical examination done to have another form completed with the doctor's permission that I am fit to race. I was also told to find a photo of myself (from a photo booth on the street) and turn it all in the following Monday with a check for the license and dues to the team. With the dues I would receive a jersey and pair of shorts with the PCO's colors and logo.

There were a few riders standing around in costume, perhaps they had just returned from a ride, and the uniforms are okay... I've gotten accostumed to wearing mostly black but the uniforms are quite blue with some red and white. Pas mal. I sat around and talked with / listened to a few of the riders talk about how they usually train throughout the winter since the season is about over for the year, and exchanged phone numbers with two members of the team. (I received a SMS - text message - today from one of the riders and we're meeting on Thursday to ride in the Bois de Vincennces.) At the end of the meeting, Jacques, the President, offered to give me a ride home in his car as he lives not too far from Rue Hénard, and I graciously accepted as it had started raining and would have had to walk quite a distance to the Metro station. After he dropped me off near Rue Hénard, in celebration I bought myself a chocolate bar at the grocery store where I had bought groceries earlier.

This morning, I asked a woman at IES how I might be able to meet with a doctor soon. She explained to me that the French do not make appointments for their doctor's visits and instead just go to the waiting room and wait to be attended on, on a first-come first-served basis. It is very expensive in France to have a medical office and even more expensive to have a secretary, so this is how they operate. At 10:30 this morning I went to the doctor's office down the street from the IES Center and waited until about 11 to meet with the doctor. His office was one large room, about the size of a living room in the US, with his desk in one corner and the examination table in the other, separated by a bookshelf. I showed him the form that I needed filled out and he said it wouldn't be a problem. The physical was pretty standard of moving joints around and checking my blood pressure and heart rate; the only bizarre part was when he attached a velcro strap around both of my wrists that had a small metal part in the middle. There was a hole in the small metal piece that he plugged two wires into and plugged the wires into an ancient looking machine... it kind of like a machine that senses earthquakes... I asked him what he was doing and he told me he was testing the electricity in my heart. I told him that as long as he wasn't going to electrocute me, it was okay. Something in the wrist-sensors must not have been working because he had to put two more on my ankles, which strung me up like a marionette, but soon that test was over and he signed my form and sent me on my way. After collecting 30 Euros, of course, for the visit.

Voila, there is my exciting past day. I think I've been averaging about one adventure a day and I'm finding it quite exhausting. I took a nap this afternoon which was absolutely wonderful. Now, I'll go help Mme C with dinner. A bientot!

Orientation, Dinner with Addie

2007-09-16T05:19:00.001-07:00

Finally, I have a reliable usage of a computer! Before getting too far ahead of myself, I will recap the past few days:

I’ve been keeping close track of my expenses so far on this trip and according to my calendar of costs, Thursday was a big day for spending. We had another day of orientation at a large meeting hall and listened to topics like safety, cell phones, how to meet French people. Some of the topics were quite useful (what is the best deal on cell phones?) and some of the topics were kind of “old hat,” (don’t use an ATM on a deserted street at 2am.) but all in all, it was nice to get familiar with the staff of my school and practice my French listening skills. For the most part, the staff made the presentations in French and when they wanted to reiterate something important they would drop English words in the middle of a sentence.

During orientation, we ate lunches together at the meeting hall’s restaurant, everyone getting the same menu of salad, main course, dessert and coffee. For some people it was difficult to spend an hour and a half eating lunch and making small talk while we waited for food, but I didn’t find it too unbearable. I’m sure lunches during the school day won’t last quite that long.

I met Madame C's son on Friday night. He goes to school in the suburbs north of Paris and comes home on the weekend to see his friends, girlfriend, etc. The three of us ate dinner together and I spent most of the meal trying desperately to understand a few words they were saying. I managed to gather that Leos, Madame C's son, is in his first year at the university and Madame C was very curious about his apartment, his classes, his friends. It was the first time he had been back from school yet this year, so I’m sure Madame C had the same curiosity my parents had when I left for college.

At times, Leos or Madame C would direct a question my way and I would be able to join the conversation, but most of the conversation was between Leos and his mom. Leos and I talked a bit about biking in Paris and he told me that he bikes everywhere and hardly uses the Metro. He much prefers biking because you can get somewhere that would take 45 minutes by Metro in just 10 minutes by bicycle. I’m not quite convinced that I’m ready to start biking around Paris by myself since I don’t exactly have a commuter bicycle and I don’t know my way around too well. Paris isn’t organized in a grid-type system that I can figure out and there are lots of one way, diagonal streets that are easy to get lost on.

I heard before I came here that a lot of socializing in France is done around the dinner table, and I am beginning to believe that. I was invited to dinner last night by a fellow IES student who studied abroad here for 6 months when she graduated from high school. We went to visit her former host family toward the outskirts of Paris and we spent a good 3 hours having dinner and talking. Dinner was held at her former host family’s house and another family attended dinner as well. In all, there were 13 people at dinner- Addie, my friend from IES, her host parents, her host parents three children, a neighboring couple who knew Addie, their three children, and another boy who may have been the neighboring couple’s son also. It was very difficult to keep up with all of the different conversations, but was a good challenge for me. Addie’s host father cooked most of the dinner, fish on a barbeque, a zucchini casserole, and salad, but they were not alarmed when I explained that I was vegetarian and didn’t eat fish. They gave me a tomato to add to my salad and offered to cook up some eggs, but I said I’d be find with salad, zucchini and all of the other food they had to offer at dinner. The food was spectacular and after the main course (fish + casserole) they brought out a platter of at least 12 different kinds of cheese. I had gotten used to seeing three, maybe four kinds of cheese on a cheese platter, but the one last night was almost overwhelming! Nearly impossible to pass around the table! I sampled a few different cheeses with bread and later had some dessert, what they called “Crumbel” (An apple crumble that doesn’t have a French name).

After dinner, Addie and I took the metro back to her apartment where we watched a movie and I spent the night, since by the time we got back to her apartment the metro lines were starting to shut down for the evening. It was kind of strange staying in yet another different apartment, but was very interesting comparing her homestay to mine. I didn’t get to meet her host family because they were out of town at a wedding, but their apartment was certainly nice.

Tomorrow I will continue taking preparatory intensive French classes at IES, and later in the evening I have a meeting with the French Cycling Federation at La Cipale, the velodrome that I visited a few days ago. At the meeting I will be able to find out more about joining a cycling league here and potentially borrowing a track bike to see if I like riding track. Also, I need to find out more information about a racing license and cost of a uniform and such. Lots to do!

I now have my computer up and running with internet access in my bedroom, so hopefully I will be able to update my blog regularly.

Love from France,
Rebecca