Imagine Thriller, sung by people who don't know what a "th" sound is.

The past few days have been very... busy. Saturday morning I started off bright and early with the first orchestra rehearsal of the year. It was great to see the professors and my friends again, and of course I was thrilled to be able to continue playing the violin! This is the Malsherbes building for the UFR music school (It's in the 17th arrondissement, or the upper left-hand part of a map of the city). This is after you walk through the gate thing and down a corridor to the main courtyard. It's funny, courtyards in the US seem to be more of an afterthought, or the product of a strange architectural turn; in France, courtyards are important parts of everything. They have personal parking, they have benches or gardens, they give people somewhere to look out on that isn't more building ... Maybe it's like this in cities, but this is the only city I've ever lived in, so I could hardly say for sure.

At any rate, the music we've been given so far is great -- Beethoven's Symphony No. 6, "Pastorale" and Beethoven's "Fantasia in C Minor, "Choral Fantasy." We have our sectionals (and sometimes full string rehearsals) on Thursday nights from 7-10pm, and the full rehearsals are on Saturday monrnings from 930-1230. It takes me about 25 minutes or so to get to rehearsal, so that makes for some early Saturday mornings. Something tells me our programs this year are going to be difficult -- we have several "week-end de travail" (work weekends) listed on the calendar ... That means double sessions both Saturday and Sunday, or a grand total of 12 hours of rehearsal in one weekend. Usually they're right before the concert, but it looks like we might be having a few extras. Yikes.



This was a motley crew of student musicians outside the Luxembourg Gardens. I've seen them before, and they're great, because the cover a wide range of pop songs with a full brass section. Cracks me up. When I walked over I'm pretty sure they were playing Gangsta's Paradise/Amish Paradise/ Whatever the name of that song that Stevie Wonder originally had was. It's infuriating sometimes, because you can recognize the tune, but the name of the song just WONT come to you. They're very charismatic though, so it's fun to hear and see them play.




This is the back side of Saint Sulpice. I decided to take an alternate route to the Cafe de Luxembourg, where I met up with the Parisian director of my study abroad program and her new group of students (among whom is my friend Kristen, from Binghamton). I was so happy to see Celine, after all, it has been a year and a half! It was fun to talk to kids doing the program now, and remember how it seemed to me when I was only just arriving and settling in at that time (Kim and Josh, I'm sure you can appreciate this)! I'm excited for them, and I'm really happy to know I'll be seeing a lot more of Celine and her family this year :)



Last night (Saturday) I met up with a few girls I used to live with in the Foyer International des Etudiantes, on Bd Saint-Michel (foyer = dorm). It was GREAT to see them again, and we had all been put on the list to get into a club, CAB (for Cabaret) for free. It's near the Louvre, in the Place du Palais Royal, and it was a fun club as far as I'm concerned -- free, and playing good dance party music. I forgot, however, that I am no match for French clubbing ... we stayed out until 430 or so, and then walked home because the late night buses were crappy for our needs. I got home at 515. Phew. The highlights, however, were:

1. When the DJ played Thriller and all the [presumably] French people were singing along. Ze French are known for zeir inability to pronounce the "th" sound. I was amused.
2. When the DJ played an Irish step song, and then added in a house beat. Felt years of Irish step dance classes bubbling to the surface, and had to desperately jump around to avoid busting out an old reel or two!
3. When a string piece came on, and I realized in .2 seconds that it was the theme from Pirates of the Carribean, which I have thoroughly played to death in every orchetra I've been in since that movie came out. Then the DJ added a house beat and everyone else kind of figured out what it was. Niceeeeee.

Tonight I also went to an informal meet-up for all the other English Assistants in my region. It was a pretty hefty group, but we ended up splitting into bar-goers and food-eaters. Naturally I sided with the food eaters, because restaurants have food, AND alcohol. Win. There were seven of us at dinner together in the upstairs of a restaurant in the Latin quarter, and we all had fun. It was nice to bond with other people that have the same fears and difficulties as I do ... and we've all agreed to form a Grad school support group, since many of us are working to apply to various graduate programs! I might even be able to have a GRE buddy, as one of the other girls is planning to take them in Paris as well. Made me feel less panicky about the copious amounts of paperwork I've got to acknowledge.

The video below is from my walk home. On my way back to my apartment I cut past the Place Saint Michel, and the usual nighttime street performers were out. There is always a group of dancers in front of this Gibert Jeune, which is a bookstore. The first song they did was even cooler than the part I've recorded (below), but I didn't think to take out my camera in time to catch it. Ahh, well, next time!



Finally, one little rant. I know that people are into being healthy and not having chemicals and genetically engineered food and all, but I think seedless grapes are a WONDERFUL thing, and I am peeved by the fact that I can't find them in France. SERIOUSLY? It takes forEVER to eat grapes when you have to pick out all of the little seeds! OK, I'll let it go. No, that's a lie, I won't. Seedless grapes, guys. It's not that hard.