Update... up until February break

Darcy at the Ampitheater (called Arenes de Lutece)- built towards the end of the 1st century AD.
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Just got back from Prague, but I'll save that trip for another entry.

Between the last time I updated and last Saturday (when I left from Prague), here are some of the highlights.

The weather has gotten a lot nicer, so I've been spending more time outside, and exploring some of the many gardens Paris has. (Granted, in most of them you can't walk on the grass which is kind of a bummer).

Feb 10th- I went to the Petit Palais which houses a collection of art from pretty much every era and lots of decorative art (vases, etc) and furniture. I liked the museum a lot, because it's not that big and much less intimidating than the Louvre or the Musee d'Orsay. I also explored the 13th arrondisement with some friends- there isn't a lot of touristy stuff to do there but we found a great restaurant for dinner, and there seem to be a lot of French students there.

The Seine at Night.
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Feb 11th- Went to see a French movie about a boy adopted from Vietnam who is getting married. We were expecting a romantic comedy and were kind of surprised about how despressing the movie was, but it was good anyway.

Feb 12th- Had my first experience with Parisian libraries. The Centre Pompidou has a HUGE library, and it's one of the only ones that are open on Mondays. It's actually really nice, but was incredibly crowded and you have to wait in line outside to get in.

Spent the rest of the week in class, doing work, and going out with friends. Highlights were Tuesday night (Valentine's day) because we went to bar celebrating Valentine's day. They gave each of us a number and we could write notes to other people in the bar using their numbers. We also got lots of free goodies, like shirts and balloons! Thursday night we went a club (in french, a "boite de nuit") where international students get in for free. It wasn't my favorite night here in Paris but I'm glad I tried it. I had some funny experiences there because they gave people stickers with flags on them (ie i wore a sticker with an American flag) but lots of people wore American/British flags who didn't speak English, making conversations kind of difficult.

Hanging out with some of the French people I've met.
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Friday I went to see a play with my theater class called "L'Affaire de la Rue de Lourcine" about two men who wake up in the same bed with huge hangovers, and are convinced they killed a woman the night before but can't remember any of it. It was funny but a little hard to understand because we hadn't read the play beforehand.

Feb 17th- drew pictures and had a picnic in a garden in the Marais near the musee suedoise. went to a "Franco-American" pot (gathering?) at the house of one of our program directors, and then hung out with some French guys we met there afterwards.

A Monet painting of the Rouen cathedral...remember, I posted pictures of the real thing a few weeks ago?
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Feb 18th/19th- Went to the Jardin des Plantes (will be really pretty in the spring) and then the remains of a Greek ampitheater in paris in the 5th arrondissement. Now kids play in the bottom part, and use the pits where the lions used to come out of as goals. Also worked on hw, and went back to the centre pompidou to do some research. I even looked up some czech words for our trip!!

I went to the Musee d'Orsay on Tuesday (the 20th) because the louvre and the other national museums are closed on tuesdays. that was a bad move, because it was packed. On the bright side, the impressionism floor there is amazing and was worth braving the crowds for. I also had fun exploring the floors at the musee d'orsay that aren't as popular (like the third floor that has orientalism, furniture, and realism/naturalism).

The rest of the week, I spent getting ready for my trip and doing some last minute work, because I had assignment to finish before I left.