Saturday, December 18, 2010

the countdown

3 showers left to take in Paris
2 nights designated for packing
1 full day of winter break, gone.


It's hard for me to believe that there are only 3 full days remaining of my semester here in Paris. Classes ended on Friday (yesterday) and already it seems like it was ages ago! Because this was the last week before vacation, parties were happening all around! Monday night, the Central College Paris Program hosted a little "fête" (party) for all of our professors, directors, and other instructors (some of my friends have had the opportunity to take music lessons at an outside institution). But before that, Cha Cha and I had our last Art History class in the Louvre - a bitter sweet ending to our studies of Renaissance to Classic/Baroque art. As we got out of class just a bit late, Cha Cha and I rushed over to the office, only to find our Art History professor arrive a few minutes after we did!

Tuesday, I had my Art History exam, and after going to the last half of my fashion class, headed back to my foyer for our Christmas party. I always enjoy our foyer gatherings as it is a time of good food, good conversation, and lots of laughter - we even had music (thanks Jenna!) acting, and some singing along with a gift exchange for the holiday season!

On Wednesday, after taking my Language exam, we had another party! Everyone brought food that represented their "country" or something that we might find from there that is similar! Needless to say, I had to save the lunch that I brought for Wednesday and eat it on Thursday. That night, I attended another fête for everyone involved in serving at Hillsong Paris. It was nice to see my church family in a setting other than at church - just a time to eat, have a glass of wine, and fellowship with each other. One of the guys from the choir even played his guitar/sang for us!

I went to the Belleville for the last time on Thursday. It was sad saying goodbye to all of the children, but I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to experience the life of a "benevole" (volunteer). Roanne and I had dinner at her foyer that evening, and then later I returned to the foyer for a quiet and relaxing night.

The sun decided to shine so brightly on Friday! Before lunch, I went for a run in the Luxembourg Garden - there was even a bit of snow on the ground from the night before! In Phonetics we had our last exam, and after class, Dustin and I spent some time looking for books! (I'm taking a French Literature class in the Spring, and have been able to buy a few of the novels here in Paris, they're even cheaper than buying them on Amazon for $0.01 with $3.99 shipping!) Then we met up with Emily, Jenna, Caroline, Meghan, and Kelly for dinner at Dustin and Martin's foyer!

Today, Saturday, I woke up to more sunshine. Though we usually have family "dinner," today we decided on having a family "brunch." It was so nice to cook and eat with my friends that I have come to know and love over the past 3 months, and a great way to end our time together. After lunch, Kelly, Emily, Roanne, and I went to the Musée de l'Orangerie right outside of the Jardin de Tuileries. We then payed a visit to Austin at the wine shop where he works for their weekly wine tasting. Tonight, I met Emily, my friend from Trinity who studied in Grenoble, France (that's in the south!) this past semester at the Gare de Lyon. She will be staying with my in my foyer until Wednesday when we both will catch our flights back home to Texas (which, I am convinced is the Promised Land of the United States).

So, while this has been a pretty packed week, I know that these next few days will be no exception! And with that, Emily has already gone to bed (it's about 1:30am) so I should probably follow suit. Here are some fun pictures from the week - enjoy!

The group (-Dustin) after Monday's fête!
Jenna, Timea, Vivien and I at our foyer party (with gifts!)

Seagulls (??) walking on the frozen fountain in the Luxembourg Garden

My language class (6 hrs/wk). Can you find the professor?

Metro line 13! (I live at Pernety)

Kelly and I being silly outside l'Orangerie



Even with the cloudy sky, it is beautiful!

1 comment:

  1. awww so sad you're leaving! but it looks like you've had funnnnnn. see you soon twin!!

    ReplyDelete