Un Super Week-end

This weekend was amazing! Katie and I decided to take a trip to the French countryside. I think we were both itching to get out of the city. We got up really early and went to the town, Auvers-sur-Oise, famous for its history of impressionists. This town is exactly what I expected it to be, and more. A beautiful, charming, quaint French town outside of the big city of Paris. The houses were CHARMING, with their colored shutters, flowers, vines, and cute wooden doors. For some reason, I kept thinking about the Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast. Katie and I kept talking about that and so we had to stop and listen to the song, "Belle" on her iPod..haha! "There goes the baker with his tray like always..."

This town is most famous because it was where Van Gogh took recluse when he fell sick. He moved to Auver-sur-Oise and fell in love with its tranquility and its beauty. Sadly, this is also the town where he committed suicide and where he and his brother, Theo were buried. Katie and I saw the cemetery where he and his brother are buried side by side. We also saw the room he lived in, very small and simple. We then went inside the Chateau (castle) in the city which is now a museum. It was a very interesting, interactive museum and we learned a lot about the impressionist movement and its history. Some bits of the history that I found most interesting..........

The impressionist movement started in the city of Paris in the late 1800s. This new kind of art was not appreciated by anyone in society. Impressionists were mocked because of their new technique. Many people didn't even consider it art! Most referred to it as sloppy art. If only those critics knew that these beautiful works are worth millions today. In the museum they described the art technique of impressionist as a snapshot, or a glimpse of real life. If you look at something quickly once, you see light, colors, and shapes. This is exactly what impressionists painted and this is what makes it so amazing.

All around town there are the reprints of the paintings of a lot of the greats--Van Gogh, Degas, Renoir, Monet--right next to the actual scene they painted. It was amazing!! Almost a little eery to think that the scene you are looking at in real life was what inspired so many of the most famous impressionist painters. It was very moving to put yourself in their shoes to see what they saw. So cool!!

On Sunday, Katie and I went to the French Open, or as it is known in Paris, Rolland Garros. The stadium is a fifteen minute walk from where I live, so it was super convenient! We got tickets for 20 euros, which gave us access to all the outside courts, but none of the bigger stadiums sadly. We were able to see lots of matches on the outside courts though, and the players were all amazing! There were quite a few juniors matches going on as well, so we saw some younger guys and girls from all over the world playing. Very cool to see young kids from the U.S. playing at the French Open--I can't even imagine! It definitely made me want to play tennis though. I'll have to get my racket out once I'm back in the states. :)

I was supposed to start my internship this Monday, but I was still waiting to receive a confirmation that I was accepted at the organization I interviewed with. I found out on Tuesday that I was accepted to work for FASTI (Federation des Associations de Solidarite des Travailleurs des Immigres)! I am very happy to be working for this non-governmental, non-profit organization which advocates for immigrant and refugee rights. I will be looking closely at French immigration policies and laws. I hope I learn a lot and I am sure it will be relevant to the immigration politics happening in the U.S. and all over the world. I'm pretty anxious for my first day of work tomorrow...

Yesterday and today I wandered around the city. On Monday I went for a run to the Eiffel Tower. I wasn't able to run the whole way though, I think I was tired out from the weekend (AND I might be eating too many baguettes). I then went to the Marais--an area in Paris that has a large Jewish population and it is also a growing lesbian and gay community. I took the walking tour from the book Stef got me for graduation (THANK YOU) and it was a very cool part of the city! My book suggested a falafel sandwich place, but I had already ate lunch. The line for this place was out the door! I will HAVE to take Stef to this place so we both can try it! Haha..we both have an unhealthy obsession with falafel! The Marais is also great for shopping and not too expensive either! When I walked by the Bastille--a monument to mark where the Bastille once stood--there was a market going on and I had to look. I found the leather purse of my dreams and had to buy it for my birthday present. Thanks Mom and Dad!! :) I even talked to merchant down from 55 euro to 40 euro! wooo hooo! Thanks to Dad for those bargaining skills.

Today was another wandering day. I saw les Invalides--the place where Napoleon held injured soldiers and I also saw the Sorbonne--Paris' most famous university. I'm going to spend the rest of the evening preparing for my first day of work--looking at FASTI's website, and researching some of the organizations they are associated with. I'm looking forward for my first day of work despite my nerves. I am ready to have a regular schedule in my day and to start feeling like a true Parisian. I have liked wandering around the city the last few weeks, but I am ready to start working. I think it will be nice to stay busy during the day. Wandering throughout the city is nice, but I can only stand it for so long...and I can only stand it alone for so long. I think (I hope) once I start working it will feel as if I am a part of French society and culture. Wish me luck for my first day of work tomorrow or as we say in french, MERDE!